Typhoon Shanshan latest: Three dead as storm makes landfall with Japan preparing for ‘major disaster’
At least three people have been killed in southwestern Japan as Typhoon Shanshan made landfall, bringing strong winds, torrential rains, and landslides.
Factories have been shuttered and hundreds of flights cancelled as the typhoon made landfall near Satsumasendai city located in the country’s southwestern island of Kyushu on Thursday morning, with gusts of up to 198 kph (123 mph), the weather agency said.
Authorities warned the storm could be one of the strongest ever to hit the region, and local governments have issued evacuation orders for millions of residents in several prefectures.
At least one person was missing, two were severely injured, and five suffered minor injuries because of the typhoon, chief cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said.
“As this typhoon is moving slowly, the total amount of rain could be rather big,” Hayashi told a regular news conference.
After striking Kyushu over the next few days the storm is expected to approach central and eastern regions, including the capital Tokyo, around the weekend, the agency said – but the typhoon’s path is proving difficult to predict.
