Southern Japan Loses Electricity Due to Typhoon

A typhoon bringing high winds and torrential rains made its way into southern Japan on Wednesday, leaving one person dead and hundreds more people without electricity.

Hundreds of flights to Okinawa and other adjacent islands were canceled, leaving thousands of tourists who were on vacation in the region's tropical beach resorts stranded.

Typhoon Khanun was described as "very strong" and had maximum sustained wind speeds of 180 km/h (112 mph), according to the Japanese weather agency.

Okinawa's power company stated that 220,580 homes, or around 35% of all households in the area, lacked electricity early on Wednesday.

Over 690,000 people were advised to leave their homes under an evacuation notice that included Okinawa and the southern half of the Kagoshima area, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency.

According to the organization, 11 persons in Okinawa suffered minor injuries.

Tuesday night, national broadcaster NHK said that a 90-year-old man was killed after becoming trapped beneath a collapsed garage. It added that it was likely caused by severe winds.

On the main island of Okinawa, the Japan Meteorological Agency issued a flood and landslide warning.

According to the JMA, the typhoon was about 70 kilometers south of the isolated Kumejima island in Okinawa at 2300 GMT and was heading west-northwest.

Later in the week, it was predicted to go to eastern China.

According to NHK, more than 400 flights were canceled on Wednesday, displacing more than 65,000 people.

In an effort to return home, holidaymakers formed lengthy lines at the major Naha airport on Tuesday.

"We haven't been able to secure a hotel, and we don't know when the return flight can be booked," Minako Kawakami told the Okinawa Times, a local newspaper.