Flights, trains not operating in Japan after Typhoon Talim hit

Typhoon Talim, still a powerful typhoon has ripped into southern Japan, dumping torrential rain, grounding hundreds of domestic flights, and halting train services.

Typhoon Talim made landfall in Kyushu, the southernmost of Japan’s four main islands, on Sunday, packing winds of up to 105 mph, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

At least 644 domestic flights have been cancelled because of strong winds, according to public broadcaster NHK, while all major regional train services have been suspended, operator JR Kyushu Railway said.

Authorities have issued warnings of rainstorms, high seas, possible landslides, and flooding across the southern half of the Japanese archipelago.

The meteorological agency said the typhoon was expected to head northwards, dumping heavy rain across a large area, including on Tokyo.

The typhoon had earlier battered the southern Okinawan island chain, dumping the most rain seen over a 24-hour period in 50 years on the city of Miyako, before it hit Kyushu.