The Most Powerful Typhoon In 25 Years Hits Japan, Kills At Least 6

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Japan Gets Hit With Strongest Typhoon In 25 Years

Japan has been hit by its strongest typhoon in 25 years, causing at least 6 deaths and 160 injuries.

Typhoon Jebi made landfall in western areas, bringing heavy rain and winds up to 172km/h (107 mph), according to reports from BBC.

In Osaka Bay, the storm swept a tanker into a bridge and in Kyoto parts of a railway station roof came down. Officials ordered more than a million people in affected areas to evacuate their homes amid warnings of high waves, flooding and mudslides.

The typhoon has already left tens of thousands without power and authorities have urged people to move to safety.

The storm made landfall on Shikoku island around noon on Tuesday local time and then continued to move across Japan’s largest main island of Honshu. It is expected to weaken as it moves north.

Jebi is the first typhoon classed as “very strong” by the country’s weather agency to make landfall on Japan’s main islands since a typhoon left 48 people dead or missing in 1993, Kyodo reports.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe convened an emergency meeting and called on people “to take action to protect your lives, including preparing and evacuating early”.

Footage from the storm making landfall showed giant waves crashing against the coastline and insane amounts of flying debris.

Japan’s weather agency has warned of possible landslides, flooding and violent winds, as well as high tides, lightning and tornadoes in the areas affected.

Because of Tuesday’s big storm, hundreds of flights were canceled along with several rail lines, including bullet train services, were suspended. Kansai International Airport near Osaka was closed because of severe flooding, which left nearly 3,000 people stranded inside.