A powerful typhoon batters southern Japan

• Typhoon Nanmadol is near the southern island of Yakushima.
• It is packing maximum surface winds of 162 kilometers (101 miles) per hour.
• More than 93,000 homes without electricity across Kyushu island.

A powerful typhoon approaching southern Japan pounded the region with strong winds and heavy rain on Sunday, causing blackouts, paralysing ground and air transportation, and forcing thousands of people to evacuate.

Typhoon Nanmadol was near the southern island of Yakushima, packing maximum surface winds of 162 kilometres (101 miles per hour), as it slowly moved north to the country’s main southern island of Kyushu, where it could make landfall later Sunday, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

Nanmadol is expected to turn east and make its way to Tokyo on Tuesday.

The National Weather Service predicted up to 50 centimetres (20 inches) of rain by midday Monday, causing flooding and landslides. Residents in the affected area were also warned of “unprecedented” levels of powerful winds and waves, urging them to evacuate as soon as possible.

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More than 9,000 people sought refuge at evacuation centres in Kagoshima prefecture on Sunday. Another 4,700 people were evacuated in the neighbouring Miyazaki prefecture.

According to Kyushu Electric Power Co., more than 93,000 homes on Kyushu Island were without power on Sunday due to damage to power lines and facilities.

On NHK television, footage showed a pachinko pinball parlour in Kanoya, Kagoshima, with part of its glass wall shattered by the gust. NHK reported that an elderly woman in the prefecture suffered a minor injury after falling.

According to Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways, hundreds of domestic flights into and out of the region have been cancelled, and more are expected to be grounded in western Japan through Tuesday as the typhoon moves northeast.

Public transportation, including trains and buses, was suspended in Kagoshima and Miyazaki on Sunday. Bullet trains on Kyushu Island have been suspended, according to railway operators.

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