Japan typhoon 'Hagibis' death toll rises to 70

The death toll in the worst typhoon to hit Japan for decades climbed to 70 on Tuesday as rescuers slogged through mud and debris in an increasingly grim search for the missing, and as thousands of homes remained without power or water.

Fifteen people remain missing nearly three days after Typhoon "Hagibis" smashed into central and eastern Japan, national broadcaster NHK said. More than 200 people were injured in the storm.

About 138,000 households were without water while 24,000 lacked electricity, well down on the hundreds of thousands initially left without power but a cause for concern in northern areas where temperatures are falling.