13 Nov
A survey shows that 15 percent of the victims of last month's Typhoon Hagibis were killed while outdoors because of their work or while commuting.
NHK conducted the survey with Shizuoka University Professor Motoyuki Ushiyama, an expert on human behavior during disasters.
The survey team studied cases of 92 people confirmed killed by the typhoon.
They found that 13 of the victims, or about 15 percent, were killed while at work or on their way home.
One victim was a 75-year-old newspaper delivery man who was heading to a sales agency in Iitate village, Fukushima Prefecture.
Another victim was a 58-year-old woman who was on her way home from a food factory in Taiwa town, Miyagi Prefecture.
Twenty other victims died outdoors while being evacuated.
Ushiyama said the victims could have survived if they had stayed indoors.
He added that businesses and other institutions should instruct their staff not to venture out during a disaster.
NHK
