Millions told to evacuate as typhoon batters Japan
Japan has issued its highest level alert to more than five million people after the country was hit by one of its strongest typhoons in decades.
At least four people have been killed and more than 90 injured after Typhoon Shanshan made landfall in the country’s south-west. Hundreds of thousands of people have been left without power.
The level five order issued in parts of the southern island of Kyushu told residents to take immediate life-saving action by moving to a safer location or seeking shelter higher in their homes. In other areas, people have been advised to leave.
After making landfall, the typhoon weakened to a severe tropical storm and is pummelling its way north-east, bringing torrential rain and severe disruption to transport services.
Shanshan landed in Kagoshima prefecture, in the southern island of Kyushu, at around 08:00 local time on Thursday (23:00 GMT Wednesday), the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said.
It has left a trail of destruction in its wake, with many buildings damaged and windows shattered by flying debris, trees uprooted and cars overturned.
Late on Tuesday, three people from the same family – a couple in their 70s and a man in his 30s – were killed by a landslide in central Japan ahead of the typhoon’s arrival. Their home in Gamagori was swept away, while two other female relatives were rescued.
A fourth person was confirmed dead by police on Thursday. The 80-year-old man from Tokushima prefecture was trapped after the roof of a house collapsed about 17:30 local time (08:30 GMT), according to Japan’s national broadcaster NHK.
The fire brigade rescued the man around 50 minutes after the incident but he later died in hospital. The JMA recorded 110mm of rainfall in the area around the time of the incident.
—BBC
