Millions of homes evacuated as Typhoon Nanmadol causes death and destruction in Japan

A tropical storm has slammed into south-western Japan, leaving one person dead and another missing, as it swerved north towards Tokyo.

Nine million people have been told to evacuate their homes as Japan is battered by one of the worst typhoons the country has ever seen.

The super typhoon Nanmadol has caused one death and almost 70 injuries.

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It hit Japan's most southerly island, Kyushu, on Sunday morning, and is forecast to pass over the main island of Honshu in the next few days.

A BBC image captures Typhoon Nanmadol whipping up massive wavesA BBC image captures Typhoon Nanmadol whipping up massive waves
A BBC image captures Typhoon Nanmadol whipping up massive waves

Tens of thousands of people spent Sunday night in emergency shelters, and almost 350,000 homes are without power.

Transport and business has been disrupted, and the country is braced for extensive flooding and landslides.

Nanmadol has reportedly brought gusts of up to 234km/h (145mph), and some areas were forecast 400mm (16 inches) of rain in 24 hours.

Residential streets were flooded with muddy water from rivers, and swathes of homes lost power after Nanmadol made landfall in the Kyushu region on Sunday then weakened to a tropical storm.

A man was found dead early on Monday in his car that had sunk in water on a farm, said Yoshiharu Maeda, a city hall official in charge of disasters at Miyakonojo, Miyazaki prefecture. Separately, one person was missing after a cottage was caught in a landslide, according to a Miyazaki prefectural official.

Nanmadol has sustained winds blowing at 67 mph and gusts up to 100mph, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

Tens of thousands of people spent the night at gymnasiums and other facilities in a precautionary evacuation of vulnerable homes.

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More than 60 people were injured, including those who fell down in the rain or were hit by shards of glass, according to Japanese media reports.

Torrential winds smashed signboards. A construction crane snapped in Kagoshima city, south-western Japan.

Bullet trains and airlines suspended service while warnings were issued about landslides and swelling rivers.

Convenience store chains and delivery services temporarily shut in south-western Japan while some highways were closed and people had some problems with mobile phone connections.

The storm is forecast to continue dumping rain on its north-easterly path over Japan’s main island of Honshu, before moving over Tokyo and then north-eastern Japan.

The Japan Meteorological Agency predicted as much as 50 centimetres (20in) of rainfall by midday on Monday, warning of flooding and landslides.

It also warned residents in the affected area of “unprecedented” levels of powerful winds and waves, urging them to evacuate early.

Storm and high wave warnings were in effect in Kagoshima, where residents were told to stay inside stable buildings on the second floor or higher, if it was deemed a safer option than going to evacuation centres.

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More than 12,000 people took shelter at evacuation centres. In neighbouring Miyazaki prefecture, about 8,000 people had left their homes.

Hundreds of domestic flights in and out of the region where Typhoon Nanmadol first made landfall on Sunday have been cancelled and more are planned to be grounded in western Japan through until Tuesday as the storm front heads north-east, according to Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways.

Public transportation including trains and buses in Kagoshima and Miyazaki were suspended throughout Sunday.

Railway operators said bullet trains on Kyushu island had been suspended.

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