Typhoon Shanshan update: Japan braces for ‘major disaster’ as storm makes landfall; 3 dead

Typhoon Shanshan has caused significant damage to houses and properties after making landfall in the southwestern Japanese prefecture of Kagoshima.

The severe storm hit the city of Satsuma Sendai early Thursday, bringing strong winds and torrential rain that devastated the region.

In the city of Miyazaki, more than 160 buildings were damaged, including 69 residential buildings and 35 commercial buildings, according to the Japan Times.

Residents of the Shirokase district of Miyazaki reported sudden, strong winds that shattered windows and caused injuries.

So far, at least three deaths have been confirmed and dozens have been injured.

Nevertheless, more than 250,000 households in seven prefectures remained without electricity.

There is also a risk that the typhoon's winds will be strong enough to cause structural damage to some homes.

The intensity of Typhoon Shanshan has been downgraded and emergency warnings for storms and high waves have been lowered from the highest alert level in much of Kyushu Prefecture after the typhoon made landfall there at 8 a.m. this morning.

Despite the downgrade, however, residents were urged to take precautions as weather forecasts predicted record rainfall.

Over the past 48 hours, some areas have been hit by more than 700 mm (about 27.5 inches) of torrential rain.

The Japan Meteorological Agency warned that a total of 1,000 mm (about 39 inches) of rain could fall in certain areas over the next few days.

The JMA warns that more heavy rain clouds are likely to form over much of Kyushu, as well as in Yamaguchi Prefecture and the Shikoku region through Friday.

This increases the risk of rain-related disasters.

According to the latest forecasts, Typhoon Shanshan will continue to move northward through Japan and reach Tokyo by the weekend.

The storm is moving at a speed of 15 km/h and is expected to hover over Kyushu before moving towards central and eastern Japan.

According to the Kyushu Electric Power Company, more than 250,000 households in seven prefectures were without power when the typhoon devastated the region.

Train traffic has also been suspended in many parts of Kyushu.

Airlines including ANA Holdings and Japan Airlines have already announced the cancellation of more than 600 domestic flights.

Typhoon Shanshan is the latest storm to hit Japan, following Typhoon Ampil earlier this month which caused power outages and evacuations.

Typhoon Shanshan hit southwest Japan this morning, leaving at least three people dead and one person missing. It triggered strong winds, torrential rain and landslides.

Two people suffered serious injuries as a result of the storm, and five others suffered minor injuries.

The storm, which struck near the city of Satsumasendai on the island of Kyushu, brought gusts of up to 198 km/h (123 mph).

A quarter of a million people were without power when footage from public broadcaster NHK showed walls collapsing and windows being smashed in the city of Miyazaki in southern Kyushu.

Authorities described Shanshan as possibly one of the strongest typhoons to ever hit the region, with factories shutting down and hundreds of flights cancelled ahead of its arrival.

Typhoon Shanshan had maximum sustained winds of between 95 and 100 miles per hour in its eyewall — the destructive ring of thunderstorms that surrounds the eye of the storm — on Thursday morning local time. Washington Post was reported, citing the United States Joint Typhoon Warning Center.

The typhoon is believed to have caused a storm surge of about two meters between Makurazaki and Ibusuki in southern Kyushu, the newspaper reported.

South of Kyushu, on the island of Amami, where the typhoon passed on Wednesday, a person riding a motorcycle was hit by a gust of wind and knocked down, the fire department said.