Japan Tornado: Twister Near Tokyo Kills 1, Injures Dozens

People walk near damaged buildings after a tornado struck Tsukuba city, northeast of Tokyo, Sunday, May 6, 2012. (AP Photo/Yomiuri Shimbun, Yoko Miwa)

TOKYO -- A tornado tore through a city northeast of Japan's capital on Sunday, killing one person, injuring dozens of others and destroying scores of houses.

Firefighters and medical teams rushed to the area after the tornado struck Tsukuba city, 60 kilometers (40 miles) from Tokyo. The city is a science center, with dozens of research and academic institutes, but the tornado appeared to mostly hit residential areas.

A 14-year-old boy died after being injured by the storm, Tsukuba Medical Center said.

More than 30 other people were injured, including at least 10 who were being treated at hospitals, fire officials said. Details of the death and injuries were not immediately available.

Public broadcaster NHK showed rows of houses without roofs, apartment complexes with smashed balconies and shattered windows, and tilting telephone poles that could barely stand.

It said about 200 homes were damaged.

Tokyo Electric Power Co. said 24,000 homes were without electricity as lightning added to the storm's damage.

Tornadoes are relatively rare in the Tokyo area.

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Comments

[icedragonhikari]

12:10 PM on 05/31/2012

Wow so sad :( My heart breaks, to anyone that has to suffer these kind of diasasters. I wish Japan could have a break though; first multiple earthquakes and now a tornado? Geesh so much weather problems everywhere these days.

[antonebraga]

05:51 AM on 05/07/2012

Foothold - Sign a petition at Change.org for the "responsible" insurance industry to provide crucial information and policyholder rights (yes, they do exist) to all policyholders as a matter of course. Disaster survivors lack these basic rights and vital information in their time of need, when they are most vulnerable. www.DisasterPrepared.net

[SheilaAliens]

04:06 AM on 05/07/2012

Here's the video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tJyiQ0Eaeg
You're welcome...

[DeceptionIsReality]

01:29 AM on 05/07/2012

Can't recall the last time I heard about a tornado in Tokyo.

[Genders]

11:45 PM on 05/06/2012

God, leave these people be, what have they done to earn such wrath?

[amanfromMars]

09:44 PM on 05/06/2012

The Future as IT is written, Huff Post ......or can be written, and being Beamed and BroadBandCast into All Nation States with Non State Actors into Virtual Power Control Sharing with SMARTR Distribution of Disruptive and Dysfunctional Game Gems/Mighty MetaFlorins for Sweet Confucian Confusion with CHAOS* Anonymously Astutely Adeptly Autonomously in Control of Command and Power :-) ....... http://www.ur2die4.com/?p=2189

* Clouds Hosting Advanced Operating Systems.

A Bold and Quite Brash Claim in Deed indeed, and Impossible to Trash or Crash/Derail from Target Acquisition whenever All is as near Perfectly True as is Humanly Possible. And the Program is easily questioned on that which it may be suspected and even wildly hoped to be doing ...... naturally.

[GracieGiraffe]

09:19 PM on 05/06/2012

My heart really goes out to the parents of that 14 year old boy! How horrible!

[Chrismoo3]

09:04 PM on 05/06/2012

It's sad when such distruction happens to anyone.

[Raquel Lee Galford]

06:47 PM on 05/06/2012

So sad. So much devastation everywhere these days.

[jvinylman502]

06:33 PM on 05/06/2012

My heart goes out to the Japanese people. Especially the women who work so hard to keep things together. I have great respect for them as they don't rely on others to make everything right. They aren't just so attractive...they are strong.

[xxgreyeyes]

06:17 PM on 05/06/2012

Tornadoes aren't just known in America. We just have tornado alley. Tornadoes are world wide and it's not caused by any climate change.

[parrotnorth]

06:53 PM on 05/06/2012

No it's Bush's fault, just ask obama.

[weathergirl]

08:23 PM on 05/06/2012

Maybe you should be on one of the political threads tonight?

[xxgreyeyes]

09:14 PM on 05/06/2012

Presidents are puppets.

[GracieGiraffe]

09:16 PM on 05/06/2012

The U.S. gets the most tornadoes (80% I think), and the most violent. No solace for the parents of that 14-year-old.

[Conspiracy2Riot]

05:59 PM on 05/06/2012

there's a 'tone' on this thread you wouldn't think you'd find on an article about a tornado in another country.

is aol breeding snotty people to sign them up here?

[docwindprod]

07:00 PM on 05/06/2012

They just recruit the red states.

[Escalonz]

07:29 PM on 05/06/2012

Good one that..............LOL

[natureman44]

11:20 PM on 05/06/2012

You don't see anyone from red states crapping on police cars, breaking windows, trashing public parks and leaving tons of garbage behind. You find that in the blue states where the OWS protesters live. The latest attempt to blow up a bridge was linked to OWS crowd. Go post that garbage somewhere else.

[gdavidsalmeron]

05:39 PM on 05/06/2012

Out in Kansas, tornadoes often hit with sudden devastation, and without warning. In one case, a house was completely whisked away, leaving only the foundation and first floor. A silver-haired farm lady was seen sitting dazed, in a bathtub, the only remaining part of the house left above the floor. The rescue squad rushed to her aid and found her unhurt. She was just sitting there in the tub, talking to herself. "It was the most amazing thing ... it was the most amazing thing." she kept repeating dazedly. "What was the most amazing thing, Ma'am?" asked one of the rescuers. "I was visiting my daughter here, taking a bath, and all I did was pull the plug and dog-gone-it if the whole house didn't suddenly drain away."

[irocker350]

06:07 PM on 05/06/2012

LOL,
Tornado devastation is not funny but your story is

[amanfromMars]

09:06 PM on 05/06/2012

And when true, is the tale fabulously real .... and right funny peculiar particular too.

Iluminatingly So.

[gdavidsalmeron]

11:26 AM on 05/07/2012

I know, but sometimes humor is great medicine. I really hope they are all okay.

[sdmartintc]

04:40 PM on 05/06/2012

This tornado may not been a result of climate change; it may have been from a thunderstorm that became mutant from the radiation from the Fukushima nuclear plant.

[Reality always bites]

05:31 PM on 05/06/2012

That is the most broken comment I have read- please fix it!
What is the point of having a well known handle if you do not use it.
BTW it was a tornado- They have been happening virtually worldwide before climate change had ever been a considered option.

[jvinylman502]

06:38 PM on 05/06/2012

Guess what ! climate change has been happening for millions of years. Tree rings prove that. The earth gets cooler..then warmer , then cooler..then warmer. But you are smart..I didn't have to tell you that right ? lol

[grappler1987]

04:39 PM on 05/06/2012

Japan frequently gets tornadoes.

http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/img/climate/research/tornado/globdist.jpg
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/severeweather/tornadoes.html