Typhoon Jebi hit western Japan, nine killed, several injured

A powerful typhoon Jebi on late Tuesday pounded western Japan, killing at least nine people and scores more were injured, sources said. Typhoon Jebi, reportedly the strongest cyclone in a quarter century, wreaked havoc in Japanese cities of Kobe, Osaka and Kyoto, leaving more than 1.6 million households remained without power supply, according to Kansai Electric Power Company.

According to reports, the super typhoon ripped sheeting from rooftops, overturned trucks on the bridges and swept a tanker anchored on Osaka bay into a bridge.

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The damage to the bridge left the Kansai International Airport, region’s main international airport, cut-off from the mainland, and stranded over 3,000 people, said sources.

Meanwhile, over 700 flights were cancelled, including international flights departing and arriving at Nagoya and Osaka, along with high-speed bullet train services were suspended from Tokyo west to Hiroshima, officials said.

However, transport services were partially resumed later after the typhoon left the region, sources said.

Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe issued evacuation advisories and ordered officials to take all necessary measure to protect residents, after the meteorology agency warns of landslides, flooding and powerful winds, as well as tornadoes.

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"I urge the Japanese people to take action to protect your lives, including preparing and evacuating early," he said.

Arriving on land, Jebi had winds of up to 162 kilometres (100 miles) per hour at its centre, making it a "very strong" typhoon, the weather agency's chief forecaster Ryuta Kurora told AFP.

"This is (the strongest) since 1993,” he added.

In July, Japan was hit by an ‘unprecedented heatwave’ that followed devastating rain in parts of central and western Japan killing over 200 people.

(With inputs from agencies)