At least nine people died in an old age home in northern Japan as powerful typhoon Lionrock tore through the region, the police said on Wednesday.
Iwate prefectural police Shuko Sakamoto confirmed that nine dead bodies were found inside the home for elderly people in the town of Iwaizumi, which suffered flooding.
"We are trying to confirm the identities of these bodies," Sakamoto told AFP.
The public broadcaster, NHK, reported that the police found those bodies when they were trying to rescue people who were trapped due to flooding by Typhoon Lionrock.
NHK footage showed a helicopter flying over the care complex and rescuing people. The complex was half buried in mud and rubble.
Typhoon Lionrock hit northern Japan on Tuesday evening, dumping heavy rainfall that led to flooding and triggered power outages.
According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, Lionrock would be the first typhoon to directly land in the region from the Pacific Ocean since 1951.
The authorities expect Lionrock to hit the region at high tide, deepening concerns for flooding along the coast. They have also warned of landslides and high water due to the expected heavy rainfall of up to eight centimetres per hour.
The national broadcaster NHK said on Tuesday almost 110 domestic flights have been cancelled.
The Meteorological Agency of Japan said the typhoon is expected to cut across the country's main island of Honshu and head out to sea towards Russia and China.
