Japan's deadliest storm in more than a decade unleashed flash floods that washed away entire hillsides, killing up to 54 people and leaving at least 29 people missing before it veered east into the Pacific Ocean on Thursday. Rescue workers and Japanese troops worked round the clock, digging through mud and debris and combing flooded rivers and coastal waters to search for the missing, Japanese media reported. Authorities said the storm's death toll was the highest since 1988. "The death toll is likely to keep rising, as we take stock of the damage," National Police Agency spokesman Kojun Chibana said. Typhoon Tokage blasted across Japan on Wednesday before being downgraded to a tropical storm. Early Thursday, the storm headed east to open seas, its fury spent.
