Powerful winds and lashing rain from an approaching typhoon have killed at least one person and knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of people in southern Japan.
The slow-moving Typhoon Khanun, which was nearing Japan’s southwestern islands on Wednesday, also forced the cancellation of hundreds of flights to the popular tourist destination of Okinawa and other islands, stranding thousands of tourists.
Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency said a 90-year-old man died after getting crushed under a collapsed garage, while media reports said at least 11 others were wounded.
The storm, described as “very strong” by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), brought maximum sustained winds of 200kmph (124mph), while some areas on Okinawa logged more than 250mm (9.84 inches) of rain in the past 24 hours.
The JMA warned of flooding and landslides in some parts, and authorities issued an evacuation order across Okinawa and in parts of neighbouring Kagoshima prefecture, urging more than 690,000 residents to move to safety.
Source: Aljazeera