Dozens injured after tornados hit eastern Japan

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Dozens injured after tornados hit eastern Japan

(Xinhua) 19:38, September 02, 2013

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TOKYO, Sept. 2 -- Tornados hit cities in east part of Japan Monday afternoon, injuring dozens of people and damaging building, according to local media.

In Koshigaya city in the Saitama prefecture, local police said that they confirmed six buildings were completely destroyed and about 80 were badly damaged, reported Japan's Kyodo News.

Around 20 students were injured by the gusty wind while playing volleyball in a public junior high school, according to local police.

About 27,000 households in the city and nearby Kasukabe lost power due to gale and lightening, said Kyodo.

In Noda city of the Chiba prefecture, more than 20 houses were damaged on roofs and tiles and about 6,200 households suffered from power off.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said at a press conference that the government has dispatched investigative teams to Koshigaya and Noda and called for caution to prevent accidents due to debris on roads and collapsed power lines.

Regional observatories in Kumagaya in Saitama and Choshi in Chiba issued a tornado warning at 2:11 p.m. local time.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said that atmospheric instability was caused by warm, humid air filling the space under a cold front building high above Japan, adding this would increase the likelihood of sudden gusts, including tornados, forming under cumulonimbus clouds.

（Editor：WangXin、Hongyu）