Torrential rains have battered Japan’s Okinawa islands and left two people dead. As a weakened but still dangerous typhoon headed north for the nation’s main islands.
Typhoon Neoguri strengthened to super typhoon as it bore down on Okinawa this week. Transport has been paralyzed and US forces based there were forced to cancel all outdoor activity. More than 200, 000 residents were told to leave their homes on Wednesday. Some 30 people were injured, mainly from falls, but none of the injuries were life-threatening.
Neoguri was moving north across the East China Sea at 20 kilometers per hour, with strong gales. It was expected to draw near Kyushu on Thursday morning before moving east along the main island of Honshu. China has also issued a blue alert for high seas in its east coastal regions.