Millions forced to evacuate as typhoon hits Japan's Kyushu, disrupting air travel
Millions have been evacuated as a typhoon strikes Japan's Kyushu region, leading to the suspension of flights.
TroibNews 
Millions of residents were ordered to evacuate their homes as Typhoon Shanshan struck southwest Japan with intense winds and heavy rainfall on Thursday, causing power outages, disrupting air travel, and leading to the shutdown of major factories.
As of now, at least three fatalities have been reported, and numerous individuals have sustained injuries. Authorities have indicated that this storm could potentially be one of the strongest ever to impact the region.
Toyota, a leading automaker, has suspended operations across all its domestic plants due to the storm, while Nissan, Honda, and semiconductor manufacturers Renesas and Tokyo Electron have also temporarily halted production at some of their facilities.
Tomoki Maeda, a funeral parlor employee, experienced the storm firsthand while inside a hearse in Miyazaki city, situated in southern Kyushu, where windows were shattered and walls of some buildings were torn down. "I've never experienced such a strong wind or tornado in my 31 years of life," Maeda recounted to Reuters.
The typhoon, exhibiting gusts of up to 50 meters per second (approximately 180 kilometers per hour), was located near Unzen city in Nagasaki Prefecture at 1:45 p.m., progressing north at around 15 km per hour, as reported by the weather agency.
In the afternoon, approximately 230,000 households across seven prefectures were without power, according to Kyushu Electric Power Co. The utility stated that there had been no impact on its Sendai Nuclear Power Plant in Satsumasendai city, where the storm made landfall earlier on Thursday.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi announced in a news conference that three individuals had perished and one was missing due to incidents related to the typhoon, while the disaster management agency reported that 45 people had been injured.
After hovering over Kyushu for several days, the storm is projected to move toward the central and eastern regions, including Tokyo, over the weekend, as per the weather agency's predictions.
Authorities have issued evacuation notices to over 5.2 million individuals nationwide.
Madoka Kubo, who operates a hotel in the historic city of Hitoyoshi in Kumamoto Prefecture, informed Reuters that all reservations had been canceled and her hotel was now accommodating elderly evacuees from nearby regions.
Major airlines, such as ANA Holdings and Japan Airlines, have announced nearly 800 flight cancellations. Train services in various areas of Kyushu have been suspended, and hundreds of bus and ferry services have also been interrupted, according to the transport ministry.
Typhoon Shanshan is the latest severe weather event to strike Japan, following Typhoon Ampil, which had also caused blackouts and evacuations earlier this month.
Olivia Brown contributed to this report for TROIB News
As of now, at least three fatalities have been reported, and numerous individuals have sustained injuries. Authorities have indicated that this storm could potentially be one of the strongest ever to impact the region.
Toyota, a leading automaker, has suspended operations across all its domestic plants due to the storm, while Nissan, Honda, and semiconductor manufacturers Renesas and Tokyo Electron have also temporarily halted production at some of their facilities.
Tomoki Maeda, a funeral parlor employee, experienced the storm firsthand while inside a hearse in Miyazaki city, situated in southern Kyushu, where windows were shattered and walls of some buildings were torn down. "I've never experienced such a strong wind or tornado in my 31 years of life," Maeda recounted to Reuters.
The typhoon, exhibiting gusts of up to 50 meters per second (approximately 180 kilometers per hour), was located near Unzen city in Nagasaki Prefecture at 1:45 p.m., progressing north at around 15 km per hour, as reported by the weather agency.
In the afternoon, approximately 230,000 households across seven prefectures were without power, according to Kyushu Electric Power Co. The utility stated that there had been no impact on its Sendai Nuclear Power Plant in Satsumasendai city, where the storm made landfall earlier on Thursday.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi announced in a news conference that three individuals had perished and one was missing due to incidents related to the typhoon, while the disaster management agency reported that 45 people had been injured.
After hovering over Kyushu for several days, the storm is projected to move toward the central and eastern regions, including Tokyo, over the weekend, as per the weather agency's predictions.
Authorities have issued evacuation notices to over 5.2 million individuals nationwide.
Madoka Kubo, who operates a hotel in the historic city of Hitoyoshi in Kumamoto Prefecture, informed Reuters that all reservations had been canceled and her hotel was now accommodating elderly evacuees from nearby regions.
Major airlines, such as ANA Holdings and Japan Airlines, have announced nearly 800 flight cancellations. Train services in various areas of Kyushu have been suspended, and hundreds of bus and ferry services have also been interrupted, according to the transport ministry.
Typhoon Shanshan is the latest severe weather event to strike Japan, following Typhoon Ampil, which had also caused blackouts and evacuations earlier this month.
Olivia Brown contributed to this report for TROIB News
