As Typhoon Khanun makes a U-turn, residents of Okinawa brace for another lashing with wind and rain

TOKYO (AP) — Residents of Japan's southwestern islands were warned of high winds and rain Friday through the weekend as Typhoon Khanun made a U-turn and is now moving back east.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said Khanun was heading to Okinawa and nearby islands that were already lashed by its winds and rain earlier this week.

Khanun had sustained surface winds of 126 kph (78 mph) with higher gusts Friday afternoon, the JMA said. Up to 15 centimeters (5.9 inches) of rain was expected in the Okinawa region by Saturday and up to 30 centimeters (11.8 inches) in the Amami region, an island group belonging to the main southern island of Kyushu, by Sunday, the JMA said.

Khanun was stronger on its first pass, with sustained winds of 180 kph (111 mph), when it crossed the islands Tuesday, damaging homes and knocking out power. The Okinawa prefectural government said 47 people were injured, three of them seriously. Two deaths were being investigated as typhoon-related but are not included on the list of casualties.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Friday noted the typhoon had had a major impact on daily life. He expressed sympathy for those affected and promised to do the utmost to provide support.

At one point, the storm left nearly 220,000 homes, or about 30%, of those in Okinawa, without power, according to the Okinawa Electric Power Company. As of Friday night, about 22,000 still lacked electricity, but power is expected to be restored to most of them by Saturday, the utility said.

Okinawa's airport was packed with passengers stranded since earlier this week. About 80 Hong Kong travelers had been stuck in a hotel that lost power Wednesday, said Steve Huen, executive director of Hong Kong-based travel agency EGL Tours. He said 26 of them flew home Thursday, and the rest of the group were to leave Friday.

Khanun's U-turn will take it away from China, where rain from an earlier typhoon caused severe flooding this week around Beijing.

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AP journalist Kanis Leung in Hong Kong contributed to this report.