Japan cleans up, Kansai Airport stays shut
TOKYO: Japan began to clean up yesterday after a powerful typhoon ripped through its west coast, killing 11 people, injuring hundreds and stranding thousands at the flooded Kansai Airport.
It could take several days to a week t o r eopen t he airport depending on the damage, the Yomiuri newspaper quoted an unidentified person in the airline industry as saying.
Typhoon Jebi, or “swallow” in Korean, was briefly a super t yphoon a nd was t he most powerful storm to hit Japan in 25 years.
It came after months of heavy rain, landslides, floods and recordbreaking heat that killed hundreds of people this summer.
About 3,000 tourists were stuck overnight at Kansai Airport in western Japan, an important hub f o r c o mpani e s e x p o r t i n g semiconductors built on reclaimed land on a bay near Osaka and connected to the mainland by a bridge that was damaged when a tanker slammed into it during the storm.
But by afternoon, many people had been rescued by bus or ferried by ship from the airport, where there were still puddles on the main runway after it was inundated on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Malaysia Airlines and AirAsia have cancelled flights to and from Osaka due to the closure of Kansai Airport.
Passengers affected have the option of rerouting to Narita, deferring their travel dates or requesting a full refund.
AirAsia said passengers with bookings to travel to or from Osaka from now until Sept 7 can opt for a new departure date or reroute to Tokyo or Sapporo.
Passengers can also keep the value of their booking in their AirAsia BIG loyalty account or obtain a full refund.