Japan: Typhoon Goni lashes out at southern islands as 21,500 homes lose power

Typhoon Goni lashed the southern islands of Ishigaki, Okinawa prefecture on 24 August registering wind gusts of up to 158.8mph – the strongest on record, local media reported.

Known as Typhoon 15 in Japan, it knocked out power on the tropical resort island as 21,500 homes were left without electricity overnight, according to Japanese media. Footage showed traffic lights and even small cars overturned on the island.

The same typhoon also hit the north of the Philippines, causing flash floods and landslides, killing at least nine people and displacing thousands, the national disaster agency said on 21 August.

Typhoon Goni is expected to head further north and hit the southern Japanese island of Kyushu before moving on to the Sea of Japan.