A large and powerful typhoon approached a remote chain of islands in southwestern Japan on Friday, prompting authorities to warn of strong winds, torrential rain, landslides and floods from what could be the most destructive storm in the region in years, UNN reports citing Reuters.
Details
According to meteorological services, early Saturday morning Typhoon Bavi will pass very close to Japan's Sakishima Islands, a remote island chain near Taiwan that is part of Okinawa Prefecture. The maximum sustained wind speed reached 162 km/h, and local residents of Ishigaki, one of the islands in the chain, were taping windows and hanging windbreak nets on homes and shops.
Airlines have suspended dozens of flights in the region. Japan Airlines said it canceled more than 100 flights on Friday and Saturday, affecting nearly 20,000 passengers. Rival carrier All Nippon Airways canceled more than 160 flights through Sunday, disrupting travel for about 20,000 people.
As of 09:00 Kyiv time, nearly 900 buildings in Okinawa Prefecture were without power.
On Ishigaki, a popular tourist destination, residents stocked up on supplies, emptying shelves of instant noodles at a local supermarket. Some public beaches, coastal parks and the local ferry terminal appeared to be closed.
In neighboring Taiwan, financial markets closed for the day, and much of the north and east also shut down. Taipei city authorities set up stations for residents to pick up sandbags.
Typhoon Bavi is not expected to reach Taiwan, but starting late Friday, the island will receive a huge amount of rain - up to one meter of precipitation in some areas.
The government said more than 1,000 people had been evacuated, mostly from the mountainous east coast, and nearly 29,000 military personnel are on standby to provide assistance.
"Although the typhoon has weakened somewhat and its intensity has been downgraded to moderate, its storm radius is large and it can still bring strong winds and torrential rain to many areas," Taiwan President Lai Ching-te wrote on Facebook.
Taiwanese airlines canceled all their flights on Saturday from the main Taoyuan International Airport outside Taipei. Cathay Pacific Airways, Hong Kong's flagship carrier, also canceled flights for the weekend between Hong Kong and Taiwan, as well as some to eastern Chinese coastal cities of Hangzhou, Ningbo and Fuzhou.
TSMC, the world's largest contract chipmaker, said it would postpone the planned release of June sales data from Friday to Monday.
Late Saturday, Bavi is forecast to make landfall near the eastern Chinese city of Wenzhou, home to 10 million people.
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