Sunday Times 2
Powerful typhoon churns towards Japan
View(s):TOKYO, Oct 11 (AFP) -Powerful Typhoon Vongfong churned towards Japan today, injuring at least a dozen people as it pounded the southern Okinawan islands with ferocious winds and driving rain.
The monster storm was about 200 kilometres (125 miles) southeast of Naha City in Japan’s southernmost area of Okinawa at 0300 GMT, according to the nation’s meteorological agency.
This colorized infared image shows the eye of Super Typhoon Vongfong, as it moves north towards Japan (AFP)
The Joint Typhoon Warning Center has downgraded the storm from a super typhoon, but Japanese officials said it remained “large and very strong” and warned of gusts, high waves, torrential rain and landslides.
Packing gusts of up to 234 kilometres (145 miles) per hour, the typhoon was moving north very slowly, at 10 kilometres (six miles) per hour.
Vongfong is expected to reach near Japan’s southern main island of Kyushu by early Monday after brushing off Okinawa.
It may then slam into the archipelago, the meteorological agency said.
Okinawa has already been experiencing gusts and heavy rain, which caused a blackout in more than 17,000 households.
Satellite images of Vongfong show a perfectly formed eye in the middle of a gigantic swirling disc of cloud.
The typhoon came just a week after another strong tropical storm whipped through the country, leaving 11 people dead or missing in the nation prone to natural disasters.