Typhoon Phanfone leaves 4 dead, 5 missing in Japan

Powerful Typhoon Phanfone which made landfall in central Japan Monday has left at least 4 people dead and 5 missing, local media reported Tuesday.

The 18th typhoon in this season brought heavy rains and strong winds to a wide area of the country. It prompted airlines to cancel more than 600 flights while the operation of more than 100 bullet trains on the Tokaido Shinkansen Line was also suspended, affecting some 135,000 people, said Japan's Kyodo News Agency.

Those killed included a 77-year-old man in Yamanashi Prefecture, a 78-year-old man in Ibaraki Prefecture, one man who was buried in mudslides in Kanagawa Prefecture and one U.S. military person who was swept away by high waves in Okinawa on Sunday.

Besides the missing, a total of 49 people were injured, according to the National Police Agency. Heavy rains also forced rescuers to suspend for a second consecutive day the search for victims of the Sept. 27 eruption of Mt. Ontake in central Japan, where 12 people remain missing.