TOKYO:- Storm and heavy rain warnings were issued Wednesday as powerful typhoon Chaba barrelled toward Japan, after lashing the southern coast of South Korea with winds that triggered flash floods and left at least two dead. The violent storm was moving north-northeast off the Tsushima islets chain near Japan’s southern Kyushu, packing gusts of up to 180 kilometres (110 miles) per hour, Japan’s weather agency said. The Japan Meteorological Agency issued warnings for gusts, heavy rains, high ocean waves and floods, covering large swathes of western Japan.
The storm is set to hit Japan’s main island of Honshu Wednesday evening before moving out into the Pacific on Thursday, the agency reported. All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines have cancelled a combined 108 domestic flights, while Kyodo news agency said some smaller airlines have also put flights on hold. The typhoon hit the southern tip of South Korea early Wednesday, bringing heavy rains that swelled rivers to bursting point, flooded city streets and forced mass flight cancellations. The Korean Public Safety Ministry said 2,500 schools had been closed, while tens of thousands of homes along the southern coast suffered power outages.