Typhoon Dolphin hits Japan's Okinawa, China shuts ports ahead of landfall

TOKYO/BEIJING, Aug 8: Typhoon Dolphin lashed Japan's southern Okinawa prefecture on Saturday, injuring six people and cutting power to more than 50,000 buildings, while China shut ports and halted ferries ahead of the storm's expected arrival on its east coast.

Five elderly people, three of whom fell due to strong winds, suffered non-life-threatening injuries in Okinawa while another person was injured in Kagoshima prefecture, authorities said.

Nearly 39,000 buildings were without power in Kagoshima while just over 12,000 were affected in Okinawa. Domestic airlines, ANA (9202.T), opens new tab and Japan Airlines (9201.T), opens new tab, cancelled flights to and from Okinawa.

The typhoon had maximum sustained winds of 162 kph (90 mph) with gusts reaching 216 kph. Okinawa and Amami island in Kagoshima prefecture are the main areas expected to be affected in Japan.�" REUTERS