TOKYO — Typhoon Dolphin lashed Japan’s southern Okinawa prefecture on Saturday, injuring six people and leaving more than 50,000 buildings without power as strong winds and heavy rain disrupted transport across the region, authorities said.
Five elderly people were injured in Okinawa, including three who fell because of strong winds, while another person was injured in Kagoshima prefecture, according to local authorities. The injuries were not life-threatening.
The storm brought maximum sustained winds of 162 kph (101 mph), with gusts reaching 216 kph, according to reported storm observations. Okinawa and the Amami islands in Kagoshima were identified as the main areas affected in Japan.
Power outages spread across southern Japan, with nearly 39,000 buildings without electricity in Kagoshima and just over 12,000 affected in Okinawa. Major domestic airlines, including ANA and Japan Airlines, canceled flights to and from Okinawa as the storm disrupted air travel.
The Japan Meteorological Agency had warned of strong winds, heavy rain and high waves as Dolphin moved across the country's southern islands. Naha Airport closed on Friday, grounding domestic and international flights, while hundreds of residents sought shelter at evacuation centers.
Dolphin's effects were also expected to extend beyond Japan. China prepared for the storm's arrival on its eastern coast, with authorities designating it an orange-category typhoon, the country's second-highest warning level, and raising the emergency response level to III because of the risk of flooding and landslides.
China's National Meteorological Center forecast that Dolphin would most likely make landfall between Zhoushan in Zhejiang province and Fuding in Fujian province between late Sunday and early Monday, bringing strong winds and heavy rainfall. Zhejiang authorities halted port operations and suspended 162 passenger ferry routes, while Fujian also suspended ferry services.
Taiwan canceled 78 international flights because of the storm, while authorities forecast heavy rain in northern parts of the island.
As of Saturday, the latest official forecasts indicated that Dolphin would continue affecting southern Japan before weakening as it moved toward China's eastern coast.
