Typhoon Nangka: 2 Killed In Japan, Thousands Forced To Evacuate

Typhoon Nangka hit Okayama prefecture in the southern part of Japan’s Honshu island early Friday after it lashed Shikoku island Thursday night leaving at least two people dead, reports said. Authorities advised about 100,000 people to evacuate the region.

Rivers overflowed in Wakayama prefecture and parts of Honshu, Japan's largest main island, received over 600mm (23 inches) of rain, Reuters reported. The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) issued warnings for floods, landslides, gale and high winds in southern Japan. Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways canceled over 177 domestic flights, Agence France-Presse reported, citing Kyodo News Agency. Nangka reportedly also disrupted train and ferry services.

Two elderly men in Hyogo prefecture died while preparing for the storm, according to reports. A 71-year-old man died while trying to install a window glass and an 85-year-old was killed in the storm after he went to check on farmland, the Associated Press reported, citing NHK national television and Kyodo.

Japan's Fire and Disaster Management Agency reportedly said that officials were checking a report of a person being swept away in Saitama prefecture, near Tokyo. According to NHK, 39 people were injured in 16 prefectures.

By noon on Friday, JMA stated that the typhoon's center was over Yonago city in Tottori prefecture on the Sea of Japan coast, according to the Weather Channel. Torrential rainfall reportedly battered central parts of Honshu from Wakayama and Nara prefectures in northwest Japan through the cities of Osaka and Kobe.

Nangka weakened overnight and was downgraded to a tropical storm. However, it carried winds of 80 kilometers per hour (51 mph), with gusts of up to 120 kph, according to Reuters. Although the rain subsided Friday, some parts of the country received about 25 millimeters (1 inch) of rain per hour, reports said. A further 300 mm (11 inches) of rain was predicted in parts of Japan by Saturday morning.