Tokyo, Sept. 5 (Reuters): High winds and heavy rain lashed Japan’s southernmost prefecture of Okinawa today, swamping buildings and stranding holidaymakers, as the third powerful typhoon in three weeks neared the country’s coast.

Songda, which could be the strongest storm to hit Okinawa since records began in 1972, paralysed transport in the popular tourist destination, as most flights and ferries in and out of the prefecture were cancelled.

Waves engulfed coastal roads and buildings, television pictures showed. One man had been injured, Kyodo news agency reported. Up to 300 mm of rain is forecast to fall in some areas of southern Japan by tomorrow evening.

It was unclear whether the centre of Songda would make landfall on one of Japan;s four main islands, the Meteorological Office said. Six typhoons have already done so this year, compared with an annual average of 2.6, the Meteorological Agency said.

“The typhoon season is only just beginning, so it’s possible it could get a lot worse,” an official at the agency said.

Since May, typhoons have killed hundreds of people in China, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea and the Philippines.