2 dead, 9 million asked to evacuate after super typhoon hits Japan

At least two people were killed in Japan and some nine million others asked to evacuate from their homes after super typhoon Nanmadol, deemed to be one of the worst, made landfall in the region of Kyushu, bringing heavy rain and gales, local media reported on Monday.

Residential streets were flooded with muddy water from rivers, and swathes of homes lost power after Typhoon Nanmadol made landfall on Sunday and then weakened to a tropical storm.

The Ttyphoon has brought winds of at least 180 km/h (112mph) and some areas could see 500mm (20 inches) of rainfall over Sunday and Monday, reported the BBC.

In Fukuoka prefecture, a man who was believed to be on his way to find shelter from the typhoon was found collapsed and later confirmed dead, reports Xinhua news agency.

Another man was declared dead after being pulled out of a car submerged in a flooded farmland in Miyazaki prefecture, according to local authorities.

According to a Miyazaki prefectural official, a man in his 40s was reported missing after his cabin was destroyed by a landslide.

The 14th typhoon of the year was moving near Hagi, Yamaguchi prefecture on Monday afternoon, at a speed of some 20 km per hour.

It had an atmospheric pressure of 975 hectopascals at its centre, packing winds up to 108 kph with maximum gusts of 162 kph.

More than 60 people were injured, including those who fell down in the rain or were hit by shards of glass, according to Japanese media reports.

Torrential winds smashed signboards. A construction crane snapped and a window at a pachinko parlour was shattered in Kagoshima city, southwestern Japan.

Bullet trains and airlines suspended service. Warnings were issued about landslides and swelling rivers. Convenience store chains and delivery services temporarily shuttered in southwestern Japan, while some highways were closed and people had some problems with cell phone connections.

Meanwhile people shared many videos and photographs on social media of the massive typhoon:

The typhoon is expected to travel across Japan's largest island, Honshu through Tuesday, with the Japan Meteorological Agency continuing to issue warnings for strong winds, high tides and mudslides.

Tens of thousands of people spent Sunday night in emergency shelters, and almost 350,000 homes are without power.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has delayed a visit to New York, where he is due to give speech at the UN General Assembly, until Tuesday, to monitor the impact of the storm.

Authorities had issued a "special alert" for the island, the first ever put in place outside the Okinawa Prefecture, which consists of the smaller, remote Japanese islands in the East China Sea, the Japan Times reported.

Japan's Meteorological Agency said Nanmadol would bring torrential rain, storm surges along the coast, and winds so powerful there was a risk that homes could collapse, said the BBC.

With agencies inputs