One US Airman dead, two missing after Japan typhoon
Posted by hanna on 10/6/2014, 11:01 am
 One U.S. Air Force member is dead and two are missing after being swept away in a typhoon that hit Okinawa, Japan, Sunday, Fox News confirmed. "One Airman is confirmed deceased and two more are missing after they were washed out to sea from the northwest coast of Okinawa at about 3:45 p.m. Oct. 5," the Kadena Air Base said in a statement Sunday. One of the Airman was found by the Japanese Coast Guard and pulled from the sea, and was later pronounced dead at a local hospital, according to the base statement. "HH-60s from Kadena Air Base and Japanese Coast Guard are continuing to search for the remaining two Airmen. Rough seas are complicating rescue efforts," the statement said. The names of the Airmen are being withheld for 24 hours after the notification of next of kin. Tsuguyoshi Miyagi, an official at the Japanese Coast Guard's Okinawa branch, said the Airmen were on the island's northern coast. Typhoon Phanfone was off the coast of Shikoku in southwestern Japan on Sunday night, packing winds of up to 90 miles per hour after hitting the southern regions of Okinawa and Kyushu, Japan's Meteorological Agency said. Okinawa is home to about half of the roughly 50,000 American troops stationed in Japan. Several people on Kyushu island were injured in the typhoon. The storm also grounded more than 100 flights Sunday and caused power outages at more than 9,500 homes on Kyushu. The storm triggered concerns of possible landslides on the ash-covered volcano in central Japan that erupted Sept. 27, killing at least 51 hikers. The search for a dozen people missing in the eruption was suspended Sunday due to rain from the approaching storm. The meteorological agency was predicting up to 16 inches of rain in central Japan by Monday morning. The Associated Press contributed to this report. http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/10/05/three-us-airmen-feared-dead-after-japan-typhoon/ One U.S. Airman Dead, Two Missing After Typhoon Phanfone Slams Okinawa A powerful typhoon lashed southern Japan on Sunday, churning up high waves that washed three American airmen out to sea and killed at least one before taking aim at Tokyo. Elsewhere in the Pacific, a separate typhoon whipped the Mariana Islands, including Guam, with high winds and heavy rain. By late Sunday, Typhoon Phanfone was off the coast of Shikoku in southwestern Japan, with winds of up to 144 kilometers (90 miles) per hour after hitting the regions of Okinawa and Kyushu, Japan's Meteorological Agency said. One of the three airmen was found dead. The other two were missing, according to the Air Force and the Japanese coast guard. They had been on Okinawa island's northern coast when they were overcome by the waves, according to Tsuguyoshi Miyagi of the coast guard's Okinawa branch. The Air Force said the search for the missing airmen had been interrupted by rough seas. Their names were being withheld pending notification of relatives. Okinawa is home to about half of the roughly 50,000 American troops stationed in Japan. Several people on Kyushu island were injured in the typhoon. The storm also grounded more than 100 flights Sunday and knocked out power to more than 9,500 Kyushu homes. In Suzuka, in central Japan, a French driver was severely injured following an accident in the Japanese Grand Prix that had to be shortened because the heavy rain made conditions too dangerous. Formula One driver Jules Bianchi of the Marussia team went off the track at a turn and hit a recovery vehicle that was removing a car that had crashed earlier. An unconscious Bianchi was taken to a nearby hospital where he underwent emergency surgery for a severe head injury. Race officials said he was in critical condition. - The Associated Press First published October 5th 2014, 8:34 am http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/one-u-s-airman-dead-two-missing-after-typhoon-phanfone-n218651 |
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- Powerful Typhoon Phanfone hits Japan - hanna, 10/6/2014, 11:04 am
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