A 14-year old boy was killed in a tornado that hit Tsukuba in Ibaraki Prefecture, east of Tokyo, on Sunday afternoon. The tornado tore through the science center where most research and academic institutes are located. The tornado appeared to have hit mostly residential areas, injuring about 30 people, including 10 who were being treated at hospitals. The teenager died after being injured in the storm. Firefighters and medical teams rushed to the area after the tornado struck at 12:46 pm. Information on the number of deaths and injuries was not immediately available. Public broadcaster NHK showed the destruction caused by the tornado – rows of houses without roofs, apartments with smashed balconies, shattered windows and leaning telephone poles. About 200 homes were damaged. Tokyo Electric Power Co said that 24,000 houses are still out of electricity due to damaged power lines.
