Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, September 05, 2002
Typhoon Sinlaku Batters Japan's Okinawa
Typhoon Sinlaku battered Okinawa's main island and its vicinity with strong winds and rain early Thursday, leaving a Filipino ship with five crew members missing in waters off Motobu, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan's Kyodo News reported.
Typhoon Sinlaku battered Okinawa's main island and its vicinity with strong winds and rain early Thursday, leaving a Filipino ship with five crew members missing in waters off Motobu, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan's Kyodo News reported.
The 78-ton Filipino ship Avoir with a crew of five disappeared in waters off the town of Motobu on the northern part of Okinawa'smain island after sending a distress signal, the report said.
At least 18 people were injured and some 89,200 households weretemporarily without electricity in Okinawa Prefecture, the report said.
All elementary, junior high and high schools on the main Okinawa island were closed for the day, and all flights to and from Naha airport were canceled, and regular bus services on the main Okinawa islands were also stopped, Kyodo said.
As of 11 a.m. (0200 GMT) Thursday, the season's 16th typhoon, packing winds up to 144 kilometers per hour, was about 40 kilometers northwest of Kumejima Island and heading westward at a speed of less than 10 kph, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
About 250 mm of rain is predicted for Okinawa's main island by Friday morning, the agency said.