Typhoon lashes Japan with torrential rain and strong winds on a slow crawl north

TOKYO (AP) — A typhoon lashed southern Japan with torrential rain and strong winds Thursday, causing at least three deaths as it started a crawl up the length of the archipelago and raised concerns of flooding, landslides and extensive damage.

Typhoon Shanshan made landfall in the morning on the southern island of Kyushu and about 60 centimeters (nearly 2 feet) of rainfall had fallen in parts of Miyazaki prefecture, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. That 24-hour total was more than the August rainfall average and swollen rivers were threatening floods, it said.

The typhoon ripped through downtown Miyazaki City, knocking down trees, throwing cars to the side in parking lots and shattering windows of some buildings. The prefectural disaster management task force said 40 buildings were damaged.

Footage on NHK public television showed the swollen river in a popular hot spring town of Yufu in Oita prefecture, just north of Miyazaki, with muddy water splashing against the bridge over it.

The typhoon was forecast to bring strong winds, high waves and significant rainfall to most of the country, particularly the southern prefectures of Kyushu. Around midday, Shanshan was moving north at 15 kph (9 mph) and its winds had weakened to 126 kph (78 mph), JMA said.

More than a dozen people were injured in Miyazaki, many of them thrown to the ground. One each was also injured nearby Kumamoto and Kagoshima prefectures on their way to shelters, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said.

Nearly a quarter million households were without power across Kyushu, most of them in the Kagoshima prefecture, the Kyushu Electric Power Co. said.

Ahead of the typhoon’s arrival, heavy rain caused a landslide that buried a house in the central city of Gamagori, killing three residents and injuring two others, according to the city’s disaster management department. On the southern island of Amami, where the typhoon passed, one person was injured by being knocked down by a wind gust while riding a motorcycle, the FDMA said.

Weather and government officials are concerned about extensive damage as the typhoon slowly sweeps up the Japanese archipelago over the next few days, threatening floods and landslides. The typhoon’s impact was yet to be felt in the Tokyo region, where business was as usual and heavy rain was predicted later this week.

Disaster Management Minister Yoshifumi Matsumura said the typhoon could cause “unprecedented” levels of violent winds, high waves, storm surges and heavy rain. At a task force meeting Wednesday he urged people, especially older adults, not to hesitate and to take shelter whenever there is any safety concern.

Hundreds of domestic flights connecting southwestern cities and islands were canceled Thursday, and bullet trains and some local train services were suspended. Similar steps were taken Thursday in parts of the main island of Honshu that were experiencing heavy rain. Postal and delivery services have been also suspended in the Kyushu region, and supermarkets and other stores planned to close.