At least 9 injured as powerful typhoon hits southwestern, western Japan

Over nine people were reportedly injured and one missing as powerful Typhoon Talim, the 18th of this season, battered southwestern and western Japan on Sunday.

The typhoon made landfall on Sunday at Hyogo prefecture in western Japan, around 10:00 p.m. local time, after sweeping across the southwestern main island of Kyushu, said the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).

The typhoon, with central atmospheric pressure at 975 hectopascals, had winds at a speed of 30 meters per second near its center, with gusts reaching nearly 45 meters per second, said the agency.

The typhoon was moving northeast at a speed of 50 km per hour, bringing with it heavy downpours and violent winds, as the weather agency warned about rivers breaching their banks and flooding, as well as possible mudslides and high waves.

Eight people in the Kinki area, including four in Osaka prefecture, three in Hyogo prefecture, and one in Kyoto prefecture, reportedly sustained injuries due to the strong wind, as of 10:00 p.m. local time.

A man in Hiroshima prefecture was also reportedly injured, and a 71-year-old man in Oita prefecture was reportedly missing.

More than 800 flights have cancelled due to the typhoon on Sunday, and train operations, including part of the Shinkansen bullet train services in Kyushu, were suspended.

Some 1,200 households in Oita prefecture and some in Miyazaki prefecture suffered power failure as of 8:00 p.m. local time, according to the Kyushu Electric Power Company.

Over 500 people in Oita prefecture remained stranded, and hundreds of thousands of people in southwestern and western Japan have been ordered or advised to evacuate, said local reports.

source: xinhua