TOKYO, October 12 (RIA Novosti) - Airlines in Japan have announced on Sunday the cancellation of over 350 flights in the Okinawa prefecture and the island of Kyushu as the Vongfong typhoon is sweeping across the country.
Japan’s Meteorological Agency has characterized the typhoon as large in size and extremely strong. Vongfong has a central pressure of 965 hPa and a wind speed of 126 kilometers (78 miles) per hour, with gusts as strong as 180 kilometers (112 miles) per hour. In Naha, the capital of Okinawa prefecture, winds reach up to 111 kilometers (69 miles) per hour.
Some 38 people have sustained injuries in the typhoon, including a 9-year-old who got her fingers caught in a door due to strong winds.
According to the Kyushu Electric Power company, Vongfong has cut electricity supplies to more than 60,000 homes in Japan’s south. The typhoon is expected to reach the island of Kyushu on Monday and then proceed to the southwestern regions of Honshu, the country’s largest and most populous island. Local authorities have asked some 150,000 Kyushu residents to evacuate.
On October 14, squally winds and torrential rain are expected to hit the central and northeastern regions of Honshu, including Japan’s capital Tokyo. The West Japan Railway Company, which operates train traffic in the region, has announced a partial suspension of train services.
