A powerful typhoon ripped into southern Japan on September 17, dumping torrential rain, grounding hundreds of domestic flights and halting train services. / AFP PHOTO /
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Typhoon Saola barreled towards Japan’s southernmost Okinawa island chain on Saturday bringing heavy rain as authorities issued a warning for strong winds and landslides.
The storm came less than a week after Typhoon Lan left five dead, one missing and scores injured.
Saola was moving 60 kilometres (37 miles) southwest of Okinawa’s capital Naha at 11 am (0200 GMT), packing gusts of up to 162 kilometres per hour, Japan’s weather agency said.
The storm is set to pass through Okinawa and the small subtropical island chain of Amami, which lies between Okinawa and Kyushu, later this evening and then hit southern Kagoshima prefecture on Sunday morning.
Public broadcaster NHK said some rivers in Okinawa are at risk of flooding.
Large storms regularly strike Japan, with 22 people killed when Typhoon Lionrock pounded the country last September.
In August, Typhoon Noru killed two people and injured 51.
© Agence France-Presse