5,000 typhoon-stranded people being ferried out of Osaka's Kansai airport
One of Kansai airport's two runways and the basement floor of a terminal building were flooded and the entire facility was closed Tuesday due to strong winds and high waves from Typhoon Jebi, KYODO NEWS reports.
The typhoon left nine people dead and more than 200 injured after ripping through western Japan.
Three high-speed boats linking the two airports across Osaka Bay carried stranded passengers and others every 15 to 20 minutes, with one boat accommodating 110 people at a time.To ensure safety, all flights to and from Kansai airport were cancelled Wednesday, with the timing of its reopening not yet decided, according to its operator.
All Nippon Airways Co., Japan Airlines Co. and low-cost carrier Peach Aviation Ltd. have cancelled 184 domestic and international flights scheduled for Wednesday, affecting about 27,000 people.
Those stranded at the airport building Tuesday, part of which suffered a power outage, were given dry biscuits, water and blankets and stayed overnight in the facility, with the operator also making available for them a conference room at an adjacent hotel.
On Tuesday afternoon, the 2,591-ton Houn Maru, which had been anchored in Osaka Bay, was swept toward the approximately 3,700-meter-long bridge, damaging the sole gateway by land to the airport, which sits on a manmade island in the bay.
The tanker was towed by a tugboat some 400 meters away from the bridge around 3 a.m. Wednesday.
The Kansai airport operator said those stranded at the airport may also be transported by bus to the mainland using lanes not affected by the ship's collision with the bridge.
