Typhoon floods parts of Japan

Tokyo: A powerful typhoon slammed southwestern Japan with fierce rainfall and winds on Monday, injuring dozens of people, as it swerved north toward Tokyo.

Residential streets were flooded with muddy water from rivers, and swathes of homes lost power after Typhoon Nanmadol made landfall in the Kyushu region Sunday.

The typhoon was packing sustained winds of 108 kilometers per hour (67 mph) and gusts up to 162 kilometers (100 miles) per hour, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

Tens of thousands of people spent the night at gymnasiums and other facilities in a precautionary evacuation of vulnerable homes.

More than 60 people have been injured, including those who fell down in the rain or were hit by shards of glass, according to Japanese media



reports.

Torrential winds smashed signboards. A construction crane snapped and a window at a pachinko parlour was shattered in Kagoshima city, southwestern Japan.

Bullet trains and airlines suspended service. Warnings were issued about landslides and swelling rivers.

Convenience store chains and delivery services temporarily shuttered in southwestern Japan, while some highways were closed and people had some problems with cell phone connections.

The storm is forecast to continue its northeasterly path over Japan’s main island of Honshu, unleashing heavy rainfall over the region that includes the cities of Osaka and Kyoto, before arriving in Tokyo on Tuesday and moving toward northeastern Japan.