Typhoon Dolphin has injured six people, cut power to more than 50,000 buildings and disrupted air travel in Japan’s southern Okinawa prefecture as it moves across East Asia.
The storm, packing winds of up to 162 kilometres per hour and gusts reaching 216 kilometres per hour, struck Okinawa on Saturday and is expected to continue affecting Okinawa and Amami Island.
Japan’s two largest airlines, All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Japan Airlines, cancelled several flights to and from Okinawa because of the severe weather conditions.
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Authorities reported that six people sustained injuries, while widespread power outages affected more than 50,000 buildings across the prefecture.
China classified Dolphin as an orange-category typhoon ahead of its expected landfall between late Sunday and early Monday.
Chinese authorities closed ports, suspended ferry operations and some rail services, grounded flights and ordered fishing vessels to return to port amid warnings of heavy rainfall, flooding and landslides.
In Taiwan, authorities cancelled 78 flights as the storm approached.
The typhoon also heightened tensions across the Taiwan Strait after Beijing directed ships transiting the waterway to comply with its traffic-control instructions.
Taiwan condemned the directive, describing it as “ridiculous.”
Meteorological authorities across the region continued to monitor the storm and urged residents in affected areas to take precautionary measures as Typhoon Dolphin advanced through East Asia.
Reuters
