Typhoon wreaks havoc in Japan

POWERFUL typhoon Songda made landfall in southern Japan yesterday, pounding the region with torrential rains and high winds that forced evacuations, caused blackouts and brought public transport to a virtual standstill.

Songda, the region's third typhoon in three weeks, also damaged two vessels off South Korea's southern island of Cheju, and Korean authorities issued a heightened typhoon alert for the south and east coasts of the country.

The typhoon injured 225 people in southern and western Japan and authorities urged more than 83,000 households in those regions to evacuate, Japanese public broadcaster NHK said, adding that Songda had cut off electricity to around 1.25 million households.