Three people killed as typhoon Shanshan hits southern Japan

 

A powerful typhoon has made landfall in Japan, killing three people.

Shanshan made landfall in Kagoshima Prefecture on the southern island of Kyushu at around 8 a.m. local time (2300 GMT), the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said.

The agency issued its rare “special warning” for the most severe storms, warning of mudslides, flooding and widespread damage.

Strong winds of up to 252 km/h (157 mph) were reported on the island.

A couple in their seventies and a thirty-year-old man died.

Both were part of a family of five whose home in Gamagori, central Japan, was swept away late Tuesday evening, ahead of the typhoon’s landfall.

The other two family members, two women in their 40s, were rescued after a night of rescue efforts, local broadcaster NHK reported.

In some areas of Kyushu, home to 12.5 million people, up to 600 mm of rain was forecast in 24 hours.

According to the island’s utility company, approximately 255,000 homes are currently without electricity.

Online videos show large trees swaying, roof tiles being blown off homes and debris being thrown into the air as heavy rains hit the island.

At least 39 people were injured in Kagoshima and Miyazaki prefectures, NHK reported.

On Thursday, major automakers including Toyota and Nissan closed their plants, citing employee safety and potential parts shortages caused by the storm.

Hundreds of flights to and from southern Japan have been canceled.

Some high-speed rail services have also been suspended.

Earlier this week, local governments issued evacuation notices for 810,000 people in the central prefecture of Shizuoka, on Japan’s main island, Honshu.

Another 56,000 people were asked to abandon their homes in Kagoshima on Kyushu island, the fire and disaster management agency said.

The JMA expects the storm to approach central and eastern Japan, including the capital Tokyo, over the weekend.

In Japan, special typhoon warnings, such as the one issued for Shanshan, are issued in the event of storms of extraordinary strength.

The same warning was issued in September 2022 when Typhoon Nanmadol approached Kyushu – the first such warning declared for a region other than Okinawa.

Shanshan comes on the heels of Typhoon Ampil earlier this month, which caused only minor damage and injuries but still disrupted hundreds of flights and trains.

Earlier, northern parts of Japan had seen record rainfall when Tropical Storm Maria hit the island of Honshu.

Typhoons in the region have been forming closer to the coast, intensifying more quickly and lasting longer on land due to climate change, a study published last month found.

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