Typhoon hits south Japan, thousands flee

TOKYO – A powerful typhoon pummelled south-western Japan with torrential rain and high winds yesterday, causing floods and landslides, paralysing transport and prompting officials to tell more than 100 000 people to flee their homes.

A woman drowned after falling from a ferry and at least five people were missing in landslides, coast guards and police said. Fifteen others were injured, Kyodo news agency reported.At 1pm, the eye of the storm was near Ushibuka, south of Nagasaki on the mountainous island of Kyushu, Japan’s third-biggest main island and home to about 10 per cent of the country’s almost 130 million population.A total of about 110 000 residents of Kyushu and the neighbouring main island of Shikoku were told to evacuate, Kyodo said, while more than 16 000 left their homes voluntarily.Winds had weakened slightly but were gusting up to 144 km an hour at the storm’s centre, Japan’s Meteorological Agency said.Military personnel were sent to help evacuate residents of the town of Takaoka-cho in Kyushu after the governor of Miyazaki prefecture requested assistance, said Japan’s top government spokesman, Hiroyuki Hosoda.”There is expected to be further damage due to the typhoon so all agencies and ministries are joining together to respond,” Hosoda told reporters.The typhoon, named Nabi, meaning “butterfly” in Korean, was moving north at 25 km an hour but was forecast to swing east and beat a path up the Japan Sea coast, bringing rain and strong winds to western Japan and parts of South Korea before hitting the northernmost main Japanese island of Hokkaido.It was not expected to hit China.Airlines in South Korea cancelled dozens of domestic and international flights yesterday because of the weather and ships were warned to stay in port.Television showed roads deep under water in the Kyushu city of Kagoshima and waves engulfing coastal roads on the island, which has a mixture of heavy industry and agriculture.More than 70 000 people were being advised to leave the city of Nobeoka in Kyushu’s Oita prefecture for fear that nearby rivers might burst their banks, public broadcaster NHK said.- Nampa-ReutersFifteen others were injured, Kyodo news agency reported.At 1pm, the eye of the storm was near Ushibuka, south of Nagasaki on the mountainous island of Kyushu, Japan’s third-biggest main island and home to about 10 per cent of the country’s almost 130 million population.A total of about 110 000 residents of Kyushu and the neighbouring main island of Shikoku were told to evacuate, Kyodo said, while more than 16 000 left their homes voluntarily.Winds had weakened slightly but were gusting up to 144 km an hour at the storm’s centre, Japan’s Meteorological Agency said.Military personnel were sent to help evacuate residents of the town of Takaoka-cho in Kyushu after the governor of Miyazaki prefecture requested assistance, said Japan’s top government spokesman, Hiroyuki Hosoda.”There is expected to be further damage due to the typhoon so all agencies and ministries are joining together to respond,” Hosoda told reporters.The typhoon, named Nabi, meaning “butterfly” in Korean, was moving north at 25 km an hour but was forecast to swing east and beat a path up the Japan Sea coast, bringing rain and strong winds to western Japan and parts of South Korea before hitting the northernmost main Japanese island of Hokkaido.It was not expected to hit China.Airlines in South Korea cancelled dozens of domestic and international flights yesterday because of the weather and ships were warned to stay in port.Television showed roads deep under water in the Kyushu city of Kagoshima and waves engulfing coastal roads on the island, which has a mixture of heavy industry and agriculture.More than 70 000 people were being advised to leave the city of Nobeoka in Kyushu’s Oita prefecture for fear that nearby rivers might burst their banks, public broadcaster NHK said.- Nampa-Reuters