Typhoon Shanshan hit the southwestern coast of on Thursday, bringing heavy rain and gusty winds.
The made landfall on the southern island of Kyushu around 8:00 am local time (2300 GMT Wednesday), with strong winds of up to 252 kilometers (157 miles).
” We ask that people living in areas expected to flood or be at risk of landslides evacuate as soon as possible,” Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said in a post on X.
Winds tear walls, smash windows
Authorities have issued the highest level of alerts, evacuating several people and warning of storms, floods and landslides. Winds tore walls, broke windows and blew tiles off the roofs of houses. Objects could be seen strewn on the roads or hanging on poles.
One person is missing and 39 people are injured in Kagoshima and Miyazaki prefectures, reported public broadcaster NHK.
The Japan Meteorological Office said “the risk of a due to heavy rain can rapidly escalate in western Japan as Friday approaches.”
“Please exercise maximum vigilance against violent storms, high waves and high tides in Kagoshima, as well as landslides, flooding in low-lying areas and overflowing rivers in southern Kyushu,” it said.
Torrential rains have hit Japan since Tuesday. An elderly couple and their son in his 30s lost their lives in a landslide Gamagori city in central Aichi prefecture earlier.
Automaker has stopped production at all its 14 plants in Japn, whereas Nissan and Honda have also halted business at their Kyushu factories.
ANA, Japan Airlines cancel hundreds of flights due to storm
Japan Airlines cancelled 275 domestic flights on Thursday and 13 for Friday. ANA Airlines also canceled 212 domestic flights for Thursday and 42 for Friday.
An official told AFP news agency that about 26 were injured in the city of Miyazaki, which also saw a tornado. None of the injuries were life-threatening. More than 100 buildings have been damaged.
More than 200,000 houses were without electricity in Kyushu.
“Our home is fine, but there was a tornado in Miyazaki and power went out in some places. It’s worrying,” student Aoi Nishimoto, told AFP news agency in Fukuoka city.Earlier this month, had hit Japan causing blackouts and affecting hundreds of flights and trains.
tg/wd (AFP, Reuters)
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