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Neoguri Brings Landslides, Floods to Central Japan


Damaged cars and buildings are seen after a landslide caused by heavy rains due to Typhoon Neoguri in Nagiso town, Nagano prefecture, in this photo taken by Kyodo, July 10, 2014.
Damaged cars and buildings are seen after a landslide caused by heavy rains due to Typhoon Neoguri in Nagiso town, Nagano prefecture, in this photo taken by Kyodo, July 10, 2014.

A major storm continued making its way across Japan on Thursday, bringing heavy rain that caused deadly landslides and floods.

At least three people have been killed, including a 12-year-old boy whose house was buried in mud in the central town of Nagiso.

Television footage showed mud flowing through towns in Nagano prefecture, where houses, bridges and train tracks were destroyed.

About 50 people also have been injured by Tropical Storm Neoguri, which was downgraded from a typhoon on Wednesday.

The storm is still packing wind gusts of up to 126 kilometers per hour as it takes aim at some of Japan's most populous areas.

Neoguri was moving across the island of Kyushu on Thursday and is set by Friday to hit Honshu, where Tokyo and Osaka are located.

Authorities have ordered about 130,000 households to seek shelter and are warning others in the storm's path to stay inside.

Neoguri, which means "raccoon" in Korean, is posing a particular threat of landslides and floods, since it is hitting Japan at the end of its rainy season.

Japan usually is hit by several typhoons each year, but it is unusual for such a storm to hit as early as July.

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