by Kantaro Komiya
TOKYO, Aug 2 (Reuters) – Typhoon Khanun killed one and injured 11 in Japan as strong winds knocked out power to 200,000 homes in Okinawa prefecture on Wednesday morning.
A man has been found dead after being crushed by a collapsing garage, according to local authorities.
Nearly 700,000 people have been told to evacuate in Okinawa Prefecture, a popular tourist destination southwest of Tokyo.
Winds reached 200 km/h on Wednesday morning and more than 25 cm of precipitation fell in the past 24 hours, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
Nearly 210,000 homes were victims of power cuts at 1 a.m. local time, according to the electricity operator, Okinawa Electric Power, or 34% of homes in the Japanese megalopolis.
In Naha City, capital of Okinawa Prefecture, the airport remained closed Wednesday for the second consecutive day.
A total of 951 flights have been canceled and 35 ferry lines suspended according to Japan’s transport ministry.
Japan Airlines said additional flights may be grounded Thursday and Friday.
Okinawa is often confronted with typhoons but which hit the prefecture later in the year. Khanun is sweeping the prefecture in the height of the summer season as tourism has returned to pre-pandemic levels. (With Elaine Lies; French version Zhifan Liu)
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