Huge storms pound coasts of India and Japan

Heavy rain and gusts have ripped through a large swathe of India’s eastern seaboard, uprooting trees and snapping power cables as a powerful cyclone swept through the Bay of Bengal, one of two storms pounding Asia.

In Japan, at least 35 people have been reported injured as Typhoon Vongfong, packing winds of up to 110 miles per hour, unleashed rain and gusts on Okinawa and was aiming at the next island of Kyushu, where authorities told 150,000 people to evacuate. At least two people were reported dead in India. Cyclone Hudhud, described as “very severe” by India’s meteorological department, could pack winds of 120 miles per hour when it makes landfall later.

The cyclone is expected to hit near the city of Visakhapatnam, one of the largest cities in southern India and a major naval base.