Strong typhoon hits southern Japan

Nearly four million families were asked to reach safety. The typhoon is now heading to the capital, Tokyo.

An unusually violent typhoon hit southern Japan, bringing strong storms and torrential rain. About four million households have been asked to reach safety, television station NHK reported Monday night (local time). Travel by rail and air is affected.

The National Meteorological Agency announced, Sunday evening (local time), that the 14th typhoon of the season has made landfall on the main island of Kyushu in the southwest of the country near the city of Kagoshima. NHK has already reported sporadic injuries, but there were initially no reports of serious damage or deaths. The Meteorological Authority warned of the dangers of “unprecedented” strong winds, high waves and landslides as a result of heavy rain.

The authority had earlier issued the highest typhoon warning for Kagoshima Prefecture, which is located in Kyushu and which was hit particularly hard. Thousands went to emergency shelters there on Sunday, including in neighboring Miyazaki Prefecture. Tens of thousands of homes across Kyushu have been temporarily without electricity. The slow typhoon is likely to move to the northeast after the long weekend due to the holiday, and also dumps heavy rain on the main island of Honshu in the capital, Tokyo.

(APA/DSPA)