Over 890 flights canceled in Japan due to Typhoon Lan – Reports

TOKYO, August 15, 2023 (Sputnik) – Over 890 flights have been canceled in Japan and nearly 16,000 people have been ordered to evacuate as typhoon Lan approached the island country from the Pacific Ocean, Japanese broadcaster NHK reported on Tuesday.

Eleven airlines have canceled a total of 891 flights to and from the airports of Osaka, Kobe and Chubu, including 315 flights by All Nippon Airways, 253 by Japan Airlines and the rest by low-cost carriers.

Later in the day, NHK reported that in the prefecture of Tottori alone, over 44,000 people had been recommended to evacuate to a shelter while it was still possible. The recommendation was issued after the fourth of five possible threat levels had been announced in the area, the report said.

Moreover, 49 people have been seriously hit by a collapsing outer wall panel as a result of the passage of typhoon Lan, leaving one of the victims in a serious condition, NHK reported. Images posted on social media show wall panels that have fallen off a skyscraper under renovation and a collapsed storehouse wall.

In addition, a pedestrian bridge has been destroyed in the city of Maizuru, while in the prefecture of Hyogo, a landslide has come down on a state road, turning over a passing car, NHK reported, adding that over 38,000 households had been left without electricity in 10 prefectures.

The typhoon is currently over the prefecture of Hyogo. The pressure in its center is 985 hectopascals (29 inches of mercury), the wind speed in the center is 30 meters per second (0.01 miles per second), while the speed of wind gusts is about 40 meters per second.

In the night from Monday to Tuesday, the typhoon forced about 600 people to spend night inside the Kansai International Airport, the report said.

On Tuesday, the Japanese authorities declared the fifth level of emergency in the central Japanese prefecture of Hyogo, the broadcaster said in a separate report. The fifth level provides for an emergency evacuation and “actions to protect lives.” A total of 15,800 people in Hyogo received such alerts, the report said.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Japanese authorities reported over 20 people injured as a result of typhoon Lan passing through central Japan.

Train and automobile transportation have been temporarily halted in the regions affected by the typhoon, which has led to a disruption in mail services.