Typhoon swerves into Japan, leaves 2 dead in Philippines

TOKYO (AP) — A powerful typhoon swerved into southern Japan Tuesday after hammering the northeastern tip of the Philippines, leaving at least two people dead.

It was hovering near the southernmost Japanese islands of Amami Oshima, about 1,800 kilometers (1,100 miles) southwest of Tokyo, filling the area with heavy rains and strong winds, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

It was headed toward a part of the southern major island of Kyushu and then the main island of Honshu later in the day, to likely reach the northernmost main island of Hokkaido by Wednesday, the agency said.

One home was damaged in one of the Amami Oshima islands, and two people were taken to the hospital for treatment, NTV news reported. Schoolchildren were asked to stay home, and some flights and ferries were cancelled, it said.

In the Philippines, two men died of electrocution in Cagayan’s Appari town and nearly 3,500 were briefly evacuated to safer grounds in Cagayan and Isabela provinces, said Norma Talosig, the regional civil defense director.

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