Freak Snowstorm Hits Tokyo
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TOKYO — A freak snowstorm brought havoc to the Japanese capital Saturday, causing scores of traffic accidents and delaying hundreds of thousands of air and railway passengers.
Authorities said about 120 people were injured in car and pedestrian accidents as a result of the storm, which dropped about 8.3 inches of snow on Tokyo and its suburbs, the heaviest snowfall in 10 years.
No deaths were reported, they said.
More than 82,000 travelers were stranded at airports in Tokyo and Nagoya in central Japan after about 600 domestic flights were canceled, airport officials said.
Dozens of incoming international flights were diverted to other airports as Tokyo’s Narita international airport was temporarily closed.
About 300,000 passengers were left waiting at stations for delayed local commuter trains and long-distance bullet trains, a Japan Railway spokesman said.
The Meteorological Agency warned of more heavy snow for Tokyo, saying the blizzard was expected to continue into the evening, with total snowfall up to 12 inches.
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