More Japanese regions brace themselves for storms as Typhoon Khanun heads west
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Debris on a flooded street following heavy rain because of Typhoon Khanun, in Nantou county, Taiwan, on Aug 5.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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TOKYO – Japan cancelled hundreds of flights and advised more than 60,000 households to evacuate some southern regions on Tuesday in anticipation of Typhoon Khanun.
Packing heavy rain and strong winds, the typhoon is slowly heading westwards days after raging through Okinawa
It is projected to reach South Korea’s southern coast on Thursday.
It is lingering in the Pacific Ocean, about 200km south of Japan’s third-largest island, Kyushu, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said.
Thunderstorms, with precipitation of up to 400mm, were expected to lash areas of Kyushu and neighbouring Shikoku island in the next 24 hours, JMA said.
Areas as far north as Osaka and Nagoya are also likely to be affected.
“Due to the slow movement of the typhoon and its prolonged impact, total rainfall may greatly exceed the normal monthly rainfall for August,” the JMA said.
The typhoon is moving at less than 10kmh.
Trains, flights and ferries have been cancelled for the next couple of days.
The city of Nagasaki relocated a venue to commemorate, on Wednesday, the 78th anniversary of the atomic bombing by the United States, to an indoor convention centre from a park.
In Kyushu’s Kagoshima prefecture, about 950km south-west of Tokyo, more than 60,000 households were advised to evacuate, Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency said.
In the western part of Honshu, Japan’s largest island, Mazda Motor said it would suspend production at its two plants in Hiroshima and Yamaguchi.
The typhoon rolled into Japan’s southern-most prefecture, Okinawa, last week
It caused blackouts in more than 200,000 buildings.
Some parts of Naha city, Okinawa, had power blackouts because of Typhoon Khanun, on Aug 2, 2023.
PHOTO: REUTERS
The storm has gradually lost its strength, but still packs winds of up to 144kmh.
Airlines, including Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways, cancelled 222 flights on Tuesday.
Those cancellations brought the total number of flights disrupted by the typhoon since last week to 2,715, according to a Transport Ministry tally.
South Korea on Tuesday started evacuating thousands of participants
Another typhoon has emerged in the Pacific, the JMA said.
Typhoon Lan, with winds of up to 180kmh, is expected to reach central Japan on Sunday. REUTERS
