Typhoon Tokage kills 10 in Japan

Ten people were killed and five others were missing today as a powerful typhoon lashed southern Japan with strong winds and heavy rains, causing deadly mudslides and prompting the evacuation of thousands of homes.

Typhoon Tokage roared north with sustained winds of 89mph and was expected to reach the Tokyo region by tonight, the Meteorological Agency said.

Parts of southern Japan, including Miyazaki prefecture were virtually shut down as schools closed and local bus, train and air transport came to a halt.

The powerful storm caused more than 650 flight cancellations, left 52,000 households without power and forced at least 117,000 people to evacuate.

Tokage, the Japanese word for lizard, was the record eighth typhoon to hit the country this year.

The Meteorological Agency warned that waves of up to 30 feet could hit southern coastlines, and 14 inches of rain could fall in parts of southern Kyushu and Shikoku islands today.

Massive waves slammed into a coastal home in south-western Kochi prefecture, killing a family of three, while a 68-year-old fisherman was swept away and drowned after trying to dock his boat.

In nearby Ehime prefecture, two people were buried in separate landslides and died after being taken to hospitals. A 61-year-old man also died after being blown off his roof while doing repairs, said police.

Elsewhere, officials recovered the bodies of two men – one from a mudslide and the other from a swollen river. A 40-year-old man was also killed after being swept off the top of a building by strong winds.

Five others remained missing, including two in landslides and another two who police suspect were swept away in high waves in Chiba prefecture next to Tokyo.