Typhoon Goni pummels Japan

Armed with torrential rains and powerful gusts, Typhoon Goni pummelled Japanese mainland on Tuesday, throwing normal life out of gear as rail and flight services were affected badly.

Streets were flooded, buildings damaged and cars could be seen tossed away as the fierce storm made its way into Japan on Tuesday.

Japan Meteorological Agency warned the residents against violent winds and floods as the strong typhoon packing gusts with speed upto 198 kilometres (123 miles) per hour, lashed Japan's southernmost main island of Kyushu.

Flights to and from Kyushu were canceled, and train and bus service suspended. Japanese television showed uprooted trees, downed power lines and sheared-off building walls and roofs. More than 470,000 households temporarily lost power, Kyodo News service reported.

No deaths were reported, but at least 26 people were injured, according to Japan's Fire and Disaster Management Agency.

The same storm struck the Philippines earlier, where the death toll rose to 26.

After sweeping across the island, Goni was heading north with maximum sustained winds of 126 kph (78 mph) and gusts to 180 kph (112 mph), the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

In the northern Philippines last weekend, the typhoon triggered landslides and flash floods. A deadly mudslide in the mountainous province of Benguet buried gold miners in three work camps.

With Agency Inputs