Typhoon hits southern Japan: nine dead and 40,000 displaced

This is the thirteenth typhoon to hit Japan this year. The southern coasts have been battered by winds of over 150km per hour. More than 200 people have been injured.


Tokyo (AsiaNews) – A typhoon that struck southern Japan yesterday with winds of more than 150 km per hour left nine people dead, more than 250 injured and displaced around 40,000 people.

The most serious incident took place in Miyazaki province on the eastern coast of Kyushu Island, where the wind overturned a train: the driver was killed and around 200 passengers were injured. The other eight victims were reported in the prefectures of Fukuoka, Hiroshima and Saga.

The winds caused several landslides: the authorities of Nagasaki prefecture ordered around 40,000 people, most of them elderly, to evacuate. It is not clear when they will be able to return home.

This is the thirteenth typhoon to hit Japan this year. According to the national Meteorological Agency, the winds should move northeast along the coast in the coming hours. On the way, 350mm of rain will fall all along the Pacific side of the region.