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As it happenedended

Typhoon Jebi - as it happened: Japan suffers eight deaths from storm as 135mph winds see major evacuation and flights cancelled

More than one million people ordered to evacuate 

Samuel Osborne,Chris Baynes
Tuesday 04 September 2018 15:03 BST
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Typhoon Jebi: Aerial video shows Kansai Airport totally flooded

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At least eight people have died and scores more have been injured after the strongest typhoon to hit Japan in 25 years made landfall.

More than one million people were ordered to evacuate and nearly 800 flights were cancelled as the powerful storm hit the country with winds of up to 129mph (208km/h).

Typhoon Jebi, named after the Korean word for “swallow” in Korean, was briefly classed as a super typhoon.

In the hard-hit city of Osaka, high seas have poured into Kansai International Airport, flooding one of its two runways and cargo storage facilities and forcing the airport to shut down.

Wind gusts of up to 129mph were recorded in one part of Shikoku, the smallest main island, with forecasts for gusts as high as 135mph (216km/h).

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It is the latest harsh weather event to hit Japan this summer following rains, landslides, floods and record-breaking heat that killed hundreds of people.

About 2,650 people are currently stranded at Osaka's Kansai International Airport, according to the Japan Times.

The airport has been forced to close and more than 700 flights have been cancelled after high seas flooded the runways and cargo storage areas.

Earlier a 2,591-tonne tanker that was mooring slammed into the side of a bridge connecting the airport to the mainland, damaging part of the bridge and the vessel.

Flights are not expected to resume at the airport until Wednesday evening at the earliest.

Chris Baynes4 September 2018 13:17

Here is footage showing the flooding at Kansai Airport which is sits on a manmade island just over three miles off the coast of Osaka Prefecture.

Samuel Osborne4 September 2018 13:30

Nearly 800 flights have now been cancelled, along with scores of ferries and trains, according to NHK.

Samuel Osborne4 September 2018 13:51

Some 1.6 million households were without power in Osaka and its surrounding areas at 5pm.

Samuel Osborne4 September 2018 14:05

Typhoon Jebi caused a fuel tanker weighing more than 2,500 tonnes to crash into the bridge connecting Izumisano City to a nearby airport

Samuel Osborne4 September 2018 14:22

In Nishinomiya in Hyogo prefecture, about 100 cars at a seaside dealership were in flames after their electrical systems were shorted out by sea water, fire officials and news reports said.

Samuel Osborne4 September 2018 14:41

Typhoon Jebi was moving off the northern coast of Fukui on Tuesday evening, with sustained winds of 78mph and gusts up to 110mph, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

Samuel Osborne4 September 2018 15:55

The death toll from the typhoon, which is thought to be the strongest to make landfall in Japan in 25 years, has increased to eight. Scores more are injured.

Harriet Agerholm4 September 2018 17:23
Harriet Agerholm4 September 2018 22:41

Thanks for following The Independent's live blog. More tomorrow, when we have it.

Harriet Agerholm4 September 2018 23:36

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