****NHK****

Hurricane Irene kills 8 people

Hurricane Irene continues heading north over the East Coast of the US, leaving 8 people dead.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says Irene is near Virginia as of 7 PM local time on Saturday, with winds of up to 129 kilometers per hour. It is moving north-northeast at 26 kilometers per hour.

In the states of North Carolina and Virginia, the storm left 8 people dead and 900,000 households without power.

In New York City, subways and other transport services have been suspended since noon on Saturday. Major airports in the area have also been closed.

Many tourists are stranded at John F. Kennedy International Airport. A Portuguese man waiting for a flight to return home expressed his worry about its cancellation. An American woman traveling to the US West Coast said she does not know where to go until the storm moves away.

The hurricane has weakened to a category 1 gale on a scale of 5. But weather authorities are warning people to stay on the alert, as the storm could approach Washington D.C. and directly hit New York City.

Sunday, August 28, 2011 12:36 +0900 (JST)