TOKYO • A typhoon slammed into Japan yesterday, grounding dozens of flights, injuring at least three people and prompting the authorities to issue evacuation warnings on fears of landslides and floods.

Typhoon Nanmadol made landfall in Nagasaki on the south-western main island of Kyushu.

It was packing winds of up to 144kmh, Japan's meteorological agency said.

At least 47 domestic flights were cancelled, affecting around 3,000 passengers, said airline companies, as transport across Kyushu temporarily came to a standstill.

Public broadcaster NHK said at least three people were injured in storm-related accidents.

The storm was quickly moving east and was expected to cut across eastern Japan, including areas surrounding Tokyo, during the night, the agency said.

Television footage from NHK and a report in the Asahi newspaper showed a downed power pole, collapsed scaffolding and an overturned truck.

Local officials issued evacuation advisories that affected more than 20,000 people, news reports said.

Big storms regularly strike Japan, with 22 people killed when Typhoon Lionrock pounded the country last August.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE