A powerful typhoon began to hit southern Japan on Sunday where authorities warned people of record rainfall and winds that could shatter utility poles and overturn cars.
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Typhoon Haishen, placed in the "
extremely strong
" category, has given rise to calls to evacuate more than three million inhabitants, most of them in Kyushu, one of the main islands of Japan, which the storm is expected to reach overnight. from Sunday to Monday.
However, the storm weakened somewhat and contrary to previous forecasts, was moving west.
Japan's Meteorological Agency said it was no longer likely to issue a high typhoon alert but urged residents to exercise "
utmost caution
" in the face of possible record rainfall, strong winds, high waves and strong tides.
“
We expect record levels of precipitation.
They could cause landslides or even flooding near large rivers,
”Yoshihisa Nakamoto, director of the weather agency's forecast division, told a televised meeting.
He added that the strong tides could cause flooding in low lying areas, especially near the mouths of rivers.
Sunday afternoon, the storm swept over a string of small islands near Kyushu.
Images show trees bent under the force of the winds as well as torrents of water.
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Four graphics to understand
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who organized a meeting to discuss the means to be deployed, warned of the risks of flooding and landslides.
“
Great care is needed as record levels of precipitation, high winds, strong waves and high tides are possible,
” he said.
"
I call on the Japanese, including those living in areas at high risk of flooding, to stay informed and take immediate action to ensure their safety
."
Stopped factories
At 10 p.m. local time (1 p.m. GMT), Haishen was about 90 kilometers west of Makurazaki town with wind gusts of up to 216 km / h, strong enough to overturn vehicles and shatter wooden utility poles.
According to the Meteorological Agency, the storm is expected to move north-northwest and pass off the west coast of Kyushu overnight from Sunday to Monday before reaching the Korean Peninsula on Monday morning.
North Korea is already barely recovering from the damage inflicted by another recent typhoon.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered 12,000 members of his ruling party, based in Pyongyang, to help two rural provinces recover from the damage caused by the passage of the violent typhoon, said Sunday. the official KCNA agency.
Nearly 1.8 million Kyushu residents have been called to evacuate, especially in Kagoshima and neighboring Miyazaki, according to the Disaster Management Agency.
Read also: Shipwrecked cargo ship: a second survivor found, 40 sailors still missing
Across the country, calls for lower-level evacuations have been made for some 5.6 million residents, according to NHK state television.
Rather than joining the schools and centers provided for in these cases, some residents have preferred to take shelter in local hotels to try to reduce the risk of infection from the coronavirus in crowded shelters.
"
I live by the river and wanted a safe place while not forgetting the coronavirus,
" a Miyazaki resident told NHK after taking refuge with her family in a hotel.
The storm led to the cancellation of nearly 550 flights and disrupted rail traffic, according to NHK.
Power cuts were reported in parts of Okinawa, as well as in Kagoshima and Miyazaki, where some 79,000 homes were without power even before the storm arrived.
Toyota announced the suspension of operations at three factories in Kyushu until Monday evening, while other companies, including Canon and Mitsubishi Electric, have reportedly taken similar measures.
With the approach of Cyclone Haishen, Japanese authorities on Saturday suspended the search for dozens of sailors missing after the sinking of a cargo ship.
The Coast Guard had rescued a second survivor Friday among the 43 crew members of the Gulf Livestock 1, which was carrying some 6,000 cows.
But patrol vessels remain at sea to be able to resume searches when the cyclone leaves the region, an official told AFP.