Japan typhoon leaves trail of destruction, 9 dead

At least nine persons have been killed by Typhoon Jebi, the worst storm to hit Japan in 25 years. It has left a trail of destruction across the west coast, hitting cities like Kyoto and Osaka.

As of Wednesday, evacuation advisories had been issued for more than 1.2 million people after the storm made landfall on Tuesday afternoon, the BBC reported.

As many as 3,000 people stranded at the Osaka's Kansai International Airport were being ferried by boat to another airport on Wednesday, an official said.

The travellers were stranded at the airport, which is built on an artificial island, after a tanker crashed into the bridge connecting it with the mainland.

The airport had seen its runways and basements flooded and will remain closed all Wednesday.

Flights, trains and ferries were cancelled. The winds are slowing down and moving north, but people are being urged to stay alert for landslides and floods, the BBC report said.

More than 30,000 people were given stronger but still not mandatory evacuation orders, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said.

Footage on social media showed the 100-metre tall ferris wheel in Osaka spinning rapidly in the storm despite being switched off.

More than two million households experienced blackouts during the storm and schools and companies in the affected area remained shut.

Nearly 800 flights were cancelled, including international flights at Nagoya and Osaka.

--IANS

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