Japan ramps up rescue as Typhoon Hagibis kills 66

01:04

Updated 11:15 BJT

At least 66 people have been killed, and another 12 are still missing after typhoon Hagibis slammed Japan, NHK reported on Tuesday, quoting local authorities.

Search and rescue work for survivors continued, according to the government.

The government vowed to improve conditions at evacuation centers and shelters without waiting for requests from local governments.

Updated 20:15 BJT

Death toll rises to 58 as typhoon Hagibis hits Japan, NHK reported on Monday citing local authorities.

Updated 16:00 BJT

The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Monday expressed its condolences.

"China mourns the victims and extends sincere condolences to their families," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang in a regular news briefing.

Rescue workers carry a rubber dinghy as they search a flooded area in the aftermath of Typhoon Hagibis in Nagano Prefecture, Japan, October 14, 2019. /VCG photo

Updated at 14:20 BJT

At least 44 people were killed in the typhoon that left vast sections of towns in central and eastern Japan under water, with another 14 missing and 189 injured, Kyodo News reported on Monday.

Five Chinese crew members have been killed after a Panama registered cargo ship sank in Tokyo Bay on Saturday night due to Typhoon Hagibis, said Japan's Coast Guard.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said vast areas had been struck by the storm and called for urgent support to the affected. "There still are many residents who have yet to be accounted for. Our people in uniform are working day and night in search and rescue operations," Abe told an emergency meeting of ministers.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Sunday that he was saddened by the loss of life and extensive destruction caused by Typhoon Hagibis in Japan. In a statement, the UN chief extended his deep condolences to the families of the victims and the government and people of Japan, and wished a speedy recovery to those injured.

Bullet trains are seen in muddy water in Nagano, central Japan, after Typhoon Hagibis hit the city on Oct. 14, 2019. / VCG photo

Updated at 07:39 BJT

Japan ramped up rescue efforts as at least 35 people were killed and another 17 missing after Typhoon Hagibis slammed the country, bringing record-breaking rainfall and flooding vast swathes of residential districts, Kyodo News reported.

Hagibis made landfall near Izu Peninsula in Shizuoka Prefecture on Saturday evening and brought heavy downpour and winds to central and eastern parts of the country.

People rest at an evacuation center for flood victims after Typhoon Hagibis hit Nagano, Nagano Prefecture, Japan, October 13, 2019. /VCG Photo

An aerial view of flooded homes beside the collapsed bank of the Chikuma River in Nagano, Nagano Prefecture, Japan, October 13, 2019. /VCG Photo

More than 100,000 rescuers clawed through debris overnight, Sunday to Monday, to reach people trapped after landslides caused by torrential rains.