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Typhoon "Jelawat" hammers Japan's Honshu Island

Other News Materials 30 September 2012 21:35 (UTC +04:00)
Powerful Typhoon made landfall Sunday on Japan's main island a day after hitting the southernmost Okinawa, killing one and injuring over 140 people in eight prefectures.
Typhoon "Jelawat" hammers Japan's Honshu Island

Powerful Typhoon made landfall Sunday on Japan's main island a day after hitting the southernmost Okinawa, killing one and injuring over 140 people in eight prefectures, local media said, Xinhua reported.

Packing winds of up to 180 km per hour, the "Jelawat" -- the 17th typhoon of the year -- lashed the central Aichi Prefecture at around 7 p.m. local time and was moving up the main island of Honshu, the Japan Meteorological Agency said Sunday.

A 29-year-old man was swept away by high waves when the "Jelawat" raided Okinawa Prefecture and was later confirmed dead, while at least 140 residents sustained injuries in eight prefectures, according to public broadcaster NHK.

The typhoon is forecast to churn northeastwards toward Tokyo early Monday and bring torrential rainfall and towering waves up to 10 meters high.

More than 500 flights, mainly in western Japan, were canceled on Sunday and some Shinkansen bullet train services across the country have been suspended.

Local authorities have ordered more than 56,000 people in Nagoya and 2,000 in Mie to evacuate as rivers overflowed their banks, while tens of thousands of people were advised to leave home for safe shelter.

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