At least five dead in Asia typhoon

At least five people are reported to have died after a powerful typhoon tore through South Korea and western Japan, lashing a…

At least five people are reported to have died after a powerful typhoon tore through South Korea and western Japan, lashing a wide area with strong winds and heavy rains.

Typhoon Dianmu, meaning "Mother of Lightning" in Chinese, killed at least two people when it slammed into the central provinces of South Korea, and three died in Japan over the weekend.

Transport was snarled in Japan, thousands of households temporarily lost power, several refineries halted shipments and at least 1,300 people were told to evacuate.

In South Korea, four people went missing, 168 houses were evacuated and 26,811 homes lost power for hours, the National Emergency Management Agency said in a statement. Rice fields across 8,411 hectares were inundated.

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The typhoon hit land at Cape Muroto on Shikoku island, about 500 km  west of Tokyo, at about 1:40 a.m. British time, Japan's meteorological agency said. Gusts of up to 180 kph were recorded in Shikoku early today, it said.

Then it headed northeast, tearing through parts of the south and west before heading out to the Sea of Japan.

By 11 a.m. British time, the typhoon was estimated to be 70 km north of Wajima, a city about 300 km northwest of Tokyo.

It was moving north-northeast at a speed of 70 kph, packing winds of up to 90 kph near the centre.

The meteorological agency said it was expected to continue heading northeast and approach Japan's northern island of Hokkaido tomorrow.