Officials have urged the evacuation of four million people on the island of Kyushu, warning of ‘unprecedented’ waves and winds from Typhoon Nanmatol.
At least four million people have been ordered to evacuate in southern Japan as a powerful typhoon bears down on the region, bringing strong winds and heavy rain, causing power outages and ground and air traffic.
The super typhoon was near the southern island of Yakushima, packing maximum surface winds of 162 km/h (101 mph) as it slowly moved north to the country’s third-largest and southernmost island of Kyushu. The Japan Meteorological Agency said on Sunday.
Nanmadol is forecast to turn east and reach Tokyo on Tuesday.
Broadcaster NHK said local authorities had ordered the evacuation of the four million people living in Kyushu, with the JMA predicting 500 mm (20 inches) of rain and winds of 250 km/h (155 mph) on the island.
The agency also warned residents of areas affected by flooding, landslides and “unprecedented” levels of strong winds and waves, and urged them to evacuate early.
Local authorities have reported no major damage or injuries so far.
In hard-hit Kagoshima Prefecture, more than 9,000 residents took shelter in evacuation centers on Sunday. Another 4,700 were evacuated in neighboring Miyazaki Prefecture.
Kyushu Electric Power Co. said more than 93,000 homes across the island were without power on Sunday due to damage to power lines and facilities.
Footage from NHK television showed a pachinko pinball parlor in Kanoya, Kagoshima, with part of a glass wall shattered by the wind. Elsewhere in the province, an elderly woman suffered minor injuries after falling, NHK said.
Hundreds of domestic flights in and out of the region have been canceled as the typhoon moves northeast, according to Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways, and several are scheduled to land in western Japan through Tuesday.
Public transport, including trains and buses, was suspended for the rest of Sunday in Kagoshima and Miyazaki.
Railway operators said bullet trains have been halted in Kyushu.
The storm is forecast to turn east and cross Japan’s main island of Honshu early next week.
