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TOKYO – Tornados hit eastern Japan on Wednesday, tearing off roofs, shattering windows and injuring at least three people, two days after twisters ripped through other parts of the region.
Television footage showed badly damaged houses in Yaita, around 100 kilometres (60 miles) north of Tokyo, some with their roofs peeled off.
A 60-year-old man was slightly injured in Yaita, the local authority said.
Similar gusts also hit nearby Kanuma city, injuring at least two men, a local police spokesman said.
“The roof of a school gymnasium was torn off, and the power supply is cut off,” a Yaita city official told AFP. “Traffic lights are not working either.”
About 600 households lost power for around three hours in Yaita city, said Tokyo Electric Power, which covers the region.
Pictures posted on Twitter and other social networks showed a dark funnel of cloud stretching down to the ground, whipping up debris.
The weather agency said at least one tornado had torn through Yaita.
More than 60 buildings were partially damaged or totally destroyed in wider Tochigi prefecture, the local authority said.
The winds came after tornados wrought havoc in other parts of eastern Japan on Monday, with a large amount of damage in Koshigaya city, northwest of Tokyo.
A total of 63 people were injured and about 110 houses were damaged or destroyed in Koshigaya and surrounding areas. – AFP.
Online Reporter