MOSCOW, October 11 (RIA Novosti) - Japan braces itself for what is expected to become its worst storm this year, as a large, powerful typhoon, Vongfong, hit the Japanese island of Okinawa, causing a blackout in more than 17,000 households and disrupting flights, Reuters reported on Saturday, October 11.
There are reports that at least 16 people have already been injured by the storm in Okinawa, as wind gusts of up to 234 kph blasted the island. The storm follows another typhoon, Phanfone, which left three US Airmen dead off the coast of the island after massive waves swept them away.
The typhoon is expected to weaken as it moves further north, however, and is likely to hit land on Monday morning on the westernmost main island of Kyushu before moving northeast towards Japan’s main island of Honshu on Tuesday.
The typhoon could reach Tokyo next week, bringing downpours and waves up to 15 meters high.
Earlier on Saturday, a 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck off Japan's eastern coast of Honshu, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).
The shock was registered at a depth of 13 kilometers; the epicenter was located 154 kilometers away from the southeastern city of Hachinohe, in the country’s Aomori Prefecture.
No threat of a tsunami wave has been reported, and there were no reports of victims or damages from the earthquake.
