Badly-hit areas of Japan to get second dose from new storm

A firefighter works as sandbags are piled at the entrance gate of a residential house in preparation for the storm at Saka town, Hiroshima prefecture, in Japan. Photo / AP

A tropical storm in Japan disrupted transportation and knocked out power to thousands of homes in its path as it headed west toward a region still recovering from devastating rains.

At least 16 people have been injured, according to a tally by Japan's public broadcaster, NHK.

Tropical Storm Jongdari made landfall in central Japan after dumping heavy rain on Tokyo and other parts of eastern Japan the previous day.

Downgraded from a typhoon, it had maximum sustained winds of 90km/h with gusts up to 126km/h.

Airlines cancelled many flights to and from the affected regions for the second day in a row, and train service was delayed or suspended.

Electric utilities reported scattered power outages as the storm moved from east to west, NHK said.

Residents and workers piled up sandbags to guard against flooding in Okayama and Hiroshima prefectures, the two states hit hardest by landslides and floods that killed more than 200 people during record rains in western Japan in early July.

Authorities issued evacuation advisories throughout the affected areas.

A powerful typhoon hurtles towards Japan, with western areas recently devastated by floods and landslides in the storm's cross-hairs https://t.co/vzKuJwCAwd pic.twitter.com/HY2FcKseVx

— AFP news agency (@AFP) July 28, 2018

-AP