TOKYO – A strong typhoon battered Japan's southern Ryukyu island chain on Saturday, and two people died after heavy downpours triggered a landslide, a news report said.
Typhoon Shanshan, with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph, was forecast to continue north toward Japan's southwestern main island of Kyushu where it could make landfall as early as Monday, Japan's Meteorological Agency said.
Heavy rain triggered landslides that killed two people on Kyushu on Saturday as the typhoon approached, Kyodo News service reported.
The storm forced the suspension of dozens of flights and disrupted shipping in the region, public broadcaster NHK reported. Taiwan issued a maritime alert Friday for ships off its eastern and southern coasts as the typhoon passed.
Television footage showed snapped utility poles, blown-over vehicles and wind damage to buildings on the southern islands. On Iriomote Island near Taiwan, wind gusts of 155 mph were recorded — the strongest winds ever observed there, Kyodo said.
Typhoons and tropical storms frequently hit eastern Asia, especially Japan and Taiwan, in the summer and fall. Shanshan is a Chinese term for young girls.
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