A powerful typhoon named Shanshan has struck Japan’s southern island of Kyushu, impacting approximately 12.5 million residents. The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) reported that the storm made landfall near Satsumasendai city in Kagoshima prefecture around 08:00 local time (23:00 GMT).
The JMA indicated that the island experienced severe winds reaching up to 252 km/h (157 mph) accompanied by intense rainfall, with forecasts predicting up to 600mm of rain in various regions of Kyushu within a 24-hour period.
In a tragic aftermath, three individuals are currently missing in Gamagori, a city located in central Aichi prefecture, following a landslide that engulfed a home occupied by a family of five late Tuesday. According to local officials, the family included a couple in their 70s, two women in their 40s, and a man in his 30s. After extensive recovery efforts throughout the night, the two women were located, but the couple and the man remain unaccounted for.
In response to the storm, Toyota has temporarily suspended operations at all 14 of its plants until Thursday morning, prioritizing employee safety alongside concerns of potential parts shortages due to the severe weather conditions.
Transportation has also been heavily disrupted, with hundreds of flights canceled at Nagoya Chubu and Osaka Kansai airports, and many high-speed train services affected as well.
Prior to the arrival of Typhoon Shanshan, evacuation advisories were issued to 810,000 residents in central Shizuoka prefecture on Honshu island, with an additional 56,000 individuals in Kagoshima also advised to evacuate by disaster management officials.
This storm follows Typhoon Ampil earlier in the month, which caused minor injuries and disruptions to flights and trains. Furthermore, northern Japan has experienced record rainfall as a result of Tropical Storm Maria hitting Honshu island.
Recent studies have shown that climate change is contributing to the formation of typhoons closer to coastlines, leading to an increase in intensity and duration over land.
