Typhoon Jebi: At least eight killed as storm slices through western Japan

Most powerful storm in 25 years floods international airport and blows tanker into bridge

As least eight people have been killed as Typhoon Jebi as it sliced a path across western Japan.

Jebi, or “swallow” in Korean, was briefly classed as a super typhoon and is the most powerful storm to hit Japan in 25 years.

A 71-year-old man was found dead under a collapsed warehouse in Shiga, another died after falling from a roof in Mie, broadcaster NHK reported.

Police say six others died in the Osaka after being hit by flying objects or falling from their apartments. At least 126 people were injured, NKH said.

Evacuation advisories were issued for more than a million people and gusts of wind up to 129mph were recorded in one point of Shikoku.

More than 1.6 million households remained without power in Osaka, Kyoto and four nearby prefectures late on Tuesday, according to Kansai Electric Power Co

Tides in some areas were the highest since a typhoon in 1961, and high seas poured into Kansai International Airport near Osaka, flooding one of its runways and forcing it to close – leaving around 3,000 tourists stranded.

The strong winds and high tides also sent a 2,591-tonne tanker crashing into a bridge which connects the airport to the mainland.

The bridge was damaged and closed but all 11 crewmembers on the tanker were uninjured and remained on board, according to the coast guard.

Nearly 800 flights were cancelled, along with scores of ferries and trains, according to Japanese media.

High-speed bullet train service was suspended from Tokyo to Hiroshima, though service resumed partially later on Tuesday afternoon when the typhoon left the region.

The storm also cut power to hundreds of thousands of homes and caused schools, shops and factories to close in Osaka, Japan’s second largest city and a major business centre.

Elsewhere in Osaka, the Universal Studios Japan theme park and US Consulate were both closed.

Japan’s prime minister, Shinzo Abe, cancelled a scheduled trip to Kyushu, Japan’s southernmost main island, to oversee the government’s response to the typhoon, the chief cabinet secretary, Yoshihide Suga, said.

Tokyo escaped the centre of the storm but was set for heavy rains and high winds.

Jebi’s course brought it close to parts of western Japan hit by rains and flooding that killed more than 200 people in July.

Additional reporting by agencies