Millions Told To Evacuate As Typhoon Shanshan Hits Japan

At least three people have been killed, and over 5 million people were ordered to evacuate in southern Japan as Typhoon Shanshan made landfall on Thursday morning. Torrential rains and landslides have been reported in the region, and hundreds of flights have been cancelled as the typhoon made landfall.

Public broadcaster NHK said that 74 people have been injured and one person is missing as of Thursday evening (local time) due to the storm. As Typhoon Shanshan brought historic rain with destructive winds, more than 5.2 million people have been issued evacuation notices across Japan. The country's meteorological agency warned that certain regions could witness a total of 1,000mm of rain over the next couple of days, reported The Independent.

Airlines, including ANA Holding and Japan Airlines, have reportedly cancelled over 700 flights. The disaster has also left 2,50,000 households without electricity. The BBC reported that major carmakers, including Toyota and Nissan, shut down their plants on Thursday. The storm is expected to approach central and eastern regions in Japan around the weekend. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida called for urgent actions while prioritising public safety and asked ministers to cooperate closely with local authorities to take possible measures to keep the public informed.