Typhoon Man-yi lashes Japan, injures dozens

Tokyo, July 14: A strong typhoon lashed southern Japan with high winds and heavy rain today, injuring dozens and prompting calls for thousands of homes to be evacuated.

Man-yi was headed for Japan's southernmost main island of Kyushu after striking the southern islands of Okinawa yesterday, moving northeast at 30 km (19 miles) per hour, Japan's Meteorological Agency said.

Winds were up to 216 km per hour (234 mph) and 500 mm (18 inches) of rain was expected to fall on some parts of Kyushu later in the day.

Thirty-five people had been injured, Kyodo news agency said, and local officials advised more than 5,000 homes to evacuate as they warned of flooding and landslides.

NHK public television said 389 flights to and from Kyushu had been cancelled.

The storm was classified as a category 2 typhoon by UK-based Web site Tropical Storm Risk (www.tropicalstormrisk.com), down from category 4 yesterday.

After moving along the coast of Japan's southeastern island of Shikoku, the typhoon was expected to brush by Tokyo late Sunday and Monday, a national holiday.

REUTERS >