Japan instructs over 800,000 people to evacuate as typhoon approaches

TOKYO: Japanese authorities have instructed over 800,000 people in the southwest of country to evacuate ahead of the landing of the extremely powerful Typhoon Nanmadol, media reported on Saturday.

The evacuation order was issued for 388,000 residents of Kagoshima Prefecture, 76,000 residents of Asakusa city of Kumamoto Prefecture and for almost 400,000 residents of the capital of the Miyazaki prefecture in the southeast of Kyushu Island, Sputnik quoted a report by Japanese broadcaster NHK.

The instructions to evacuate constitute the fourth of the five possible threat levels. The authorities are calling for the evacuation to be completed while it is still possible, before the announcement of the fifth threat level, when there will be a direct risk to human life. The citizens are reminded about the necessary measures to take in case of a power outage and water supply shortage.

The Nanmadol typhoon, named after the monument of Micronesian culture -- the Nan Madol archaeological site, is slowly moving northwest toward Japan's southern islands. Officials expect it will come near the Amami Islands in Kagoshima Prefecture and the southwestern island of Kyushu on Sunday through Monday, according to NHK.

The pressure in the centre of the typhoon is 910 hectopascal (0.8 atm), and the wind speed in the centre is 123 miles per hour, with gusts of up to 167 miles per hour. Experts also warn that the waves height could reach 39 feet. Officials say that southern Kyushu Island could get as much as 500 millimetres of precipitation in the 24-hour period on Sunday.

More than 450 flights connecting Japan's southwestern regions with the rest of the country and ferry services have been cancelled due to the approaching typhoon. There are also delays in the train services.

By Sunday evening, the powerful cyclone is expected to reach the main Japanese island of Honshu and continue moving northeast. In particular, from Sunday night through to Monday, the typhoon should come close to Kansai region, the metropolitan region of Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe.

-- BERNAMA