JAPAN: Typhoon Chaba tore across southwestern Japan yesterday, killing at least five people and knocking out electricity for thousands as it swirled its way north, dumping heavy rain and whipping up huge seas.
Four people were missing, more than 350,000 households lost power at one point, and thousands of people were evacuated because of fears of flooding and landslides in areas hit by another typhoon two weeks ago.
Chaba, one of the strongest storms to hit Japan this year, at one point generated winds of up to 210 km an hour, almost the highest on record for the area, the public broadcaster NHK said. By evening it had weakened, but still had gusts of up to 126 km an hour.
Kyushu, one of four of Japan's main islands, has so far suffered the worst damage. The island is home to a 10th of the country's population. Another 10,000 later lost power on neighbouring Shikoku island.
More than 16,000 people had left their homes to wait out the storm in shelters as authorities warned of flooding and landslides, particularly in parts of Shikoku, which was hit hard by typhoon Megi two weeks ago.
The Meteorological Agency issued heavy rain and flood warnings for a wide area of southwestern Japan.
An empty Vietnamese-flagged cargo ship ran aground near Shikoku. The media said four crew members were missing, but the Japan Coast Guard could not confirm this.
Television pictures showed people wading through knee-deep water in the streets of Kagoshima city on the southern tip of Kyushu, while huge waves battered seaside houses.
Transport was severely disrupted, with hundreds of flights cancelled in and out of southern Japan. Bullet train service to the region was also halted, ferry services were cancelled, and sections of motorways were closed because of high winds.
Among the dead were an elderly man killed when he fell from the roof of a storehouse and another who fell from a ladder, local authorities said. Two more men died after their truck was washed away in a swollen river and a 51-year-old woman died when she fell from a roof.