Typhoon Melor makes landfall in Japan
[ABC] Mark Willacy,Tokyo/AFP
Typhoon Melor has made landfall in Japan and is heading for the main island of Honshu.
A powerful typhoon has made landfall in central Japan, damaging houses, paralysing transport and injuring at least 14 people.
The meteorological agency says Typhoon Melor came ashore in Aichi prefecture shortly after 5am, local time.
It’s the first typhoon to make landfall in Japan since 2007.
It’s moving on course to batter the main island of Honshu, bringing heavy rain and winds gusting at up to 198 kilometres (123 miles) per hour.
Houses have been damaged, trees toppled, and roads blocked in Aichi.
The Public broadcaster NHK says more than 9,000 people have been evacuated to shelters, after efforts were made to strengthen homes and equip coastal areas with storm surge barriers.
Japanese airlines plan to ground 290 flights across the nation, while railway services have been suspended, mainly in central Japan.
More than 10,000 households have lost electricity on islands in Japan’s far south, according to local power companies.
Melor is the latest in a series of powerful typhoons to batter Asia in recent weeks.
In August, Typhoon Etau brought flash floods and landslides that killed at least 25 people in Japan, even though it avoided a direct hit.
Another powerful storm, Ketsana, has caused devastation across Southeast Asia, killing hundreds of people, mostly in the Philippines and Vietnam. In Taiwan more than 600 people died after Typhoon Morakot struck in August. (ABC)
NEWS SOURCE: VOICE OF MELANESIA