26 Dead In Japan Typhoon

A deadly typhoon threatened the tip of Hokkaido island Saturday after lashing Japan with rains and winds that killed at least 26 people as it flooded homes, set off landslides and downed power lines.

Typhoon Bart, packing winds of 67 mph, churned toward Japan's northernmost island at 31 mph, and was expected to hit the port town of Wakkanai, 675 miles north of Tokyo, according to the Meteorological Agency.

On Friday, the storm pounded the main island of Honshu and the southwestern island of Kyushu with winds of up to 78 mph. More than 537 people were injured before the storm moved northeast.

On the island of Kyushu, the bodies of 14 people were recovered from homes submerged by high sea waves in Shiranui, a coastal town in Kumamoto prefecture.

An aerial view of houses damaged by high tides brought on by Typhoon Bart. At least 12 people were killed at the site.

Another man died Thursday in Kyushu, when he was swept away in strong waves while trying to swim ashore after securing his boat.

In Hiroshima, two factory cranes toppled by strong winds crashed on a building, killing three workers and injuring one, police said.

Two people were reported missing.

The National Police Agency reported 245 landslides, 22 destroyed homes and more than 4,000 homes flooded. Most domestic air flights and trains on Kyushu were either canceled or suspended.

Japan was also hit by a tornado on Friday, unrelated to the typhoon. The tornado tore through a city in central Japan, slightly injuring 262 people, mostly schoolchildren who were hit by glass from shattered windows. The twister swept through Toyohashi, 140 miles west of Tokyo, for about 30 minutes, destroyed three homes and damaged dozens of others.