Typhoon Dolphin Closes Okinawa's Main Airport and Heads for China's East Coast

Typhoon Dolphin moved across Japan's southern islands, injuring five people and cutting power to about 14,000 buildings in Okinawa Prefecture, The Japan Times reported. Naha Airport closed and all domestic and international flights were cancelled, and anchorage restrictions were imposed around the airport, the Yoshinoura thermal power station, the Okinawa Oil Base and the Okinawa Terminal.

Japan's Meteorological Agency said the storm is tracking toward the Chinese mainland while Okinawa and Amami remain under warnings for landslides. China's National Meteorological Center expects landfall between Zhejiang and northern Fujian between the afternoon of August 9 and the morning of August 10. That stretch of coast contains some of the busiest container terminals in the world, and shipping has already begun moving away from the storm's path.

Japan is managing a second emergency at the same time. The death toll from the Kumamoto earthquake rose to 39, with total casualties in the prefecture reaching 205 and 23 people severely injured. TASS reported the same figures, citing Japanese authorities.