A major airport that was cut off when a huge typhoon smashed through its sole access road was being evacuated Wednesday, as Japan grappled with devastation caused by its most powerful storm in a quarter of a century.
Boats were ferrying stranded passengers from Kansai International Airport — one of the country’s busiest — after thousands of people were forced to spend the night in the partially flooded facility.
At least ten people were killed, and hundreds more injured by Typhoon Jebi as it raked through the major manufacturing area around Osaka — Japan’s second city — wrecking infrastructure and destroying homes.
Winds up to 216 kilometres (135 miles) per hour ripped off roofs, overturned trucks on bridges and swept a 2,500-ton tanker into a bridge leading to the airport, the region’s main international gateway and a national transport hub.
The damage to the bridge left the artificial island cut off, stranding 3,000 travellers and additional staff overnight.
