Huge typhoon leaves Japanese airport under water and strands thousands
At least two people were killed by Jebi, reportedly the strongest typhoon to make landfall in Japan since 1993.
A powerful typhoon has slammed into western Japan, causing heavy rain to flood the region’s main international airport and strong winds to blow a tanker into a bridge.
At least two people were killed as the storm disrupted land and air travel and left thousands stranded.
Jebi, reportedly the strongest typhoon to make landfall in Japan since 1993, headed north across the main island of Honshu towards the Sea of Japan.
It was off the northern coast of Fukui on Tuesday evening with sustained winds of 78mph and gusts up to 110mph, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
NHK public television said 126 people were injured in the storm.
High seas poured into Kansai International Airport, built on artificial islands in Osaka Bay, flooding one of its two runways, cargo storage and other facilities, and forcing it to shut down, said the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.
A 2,591-ton tanker that was mooring slammed into the side of a bridge connecting the airport to the mainland, damaging the bridge and making it unusable, leaving about 3,000 passengers stranded at the airport, the transport ministry said.
The tanker was also damaged, but its 11 crew members were not injured and remained on board, according to the coastguard.
The storm also cut power to hundreds of thousands of homes and caused schools, shops and factories to close in Osaka, Japan’s second largest city and a business centre.
More than 1.6 million households remained without power in Osaka, Kyoto and four nearby prefectures late on Tuesday, according to Kansai Electric Power Co.
Major beverage maker Kirin suspended production at its brewery in Kobe, according to Kyodo News agency.
Elsewhere in Osaka, the Universal Studios Japan theme park and US consulate were closed.
Prime minister Shinzo Abe cancelled a scheduled trip to Kyushu, Japan’s southern-most main island, to oversee the government’s response to the typhoon, said chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga.
The typhoon first made landfall on Japan’s south-western island of Shikoku and then again near Kobe on Honshu. Television footage showed sea water overflowing on to low-lying areas.
Tokyo escaped relatively unscathed, with intermittent squalls.
