The typhoon, which local authorities called the worst to hit the southern Japanese islands in 30 years, was headed north northeast in the Sea of Japan (East Sea) at a speed of 35 kilometers (22 miles) per hour, the Meteorological Agency said.

Packing 144 kilometer (90 mile) per hour winds, the typhoon was on a path to hit the Korean peninsula around 9:00 pm (1200 GMT) Thursday, the agency said.

One elderly woman died and 94 were injured, one seriously, in typhoon-related incidents, but the worst appeared to be over, according to the Okinawa prefecture's emergency section.

"I don't think there will be further damage due to the typhoon from here on," said the section's Hidetoshi Machida. "There are not clear skies here, but the strong winds have stopped."

Most of the damage and injuries occurred on the Okinawa chain's southwestern-most Miyakojima islands.

The typhoon toppled trees, downed power lines and cut electricity to 19,600 homes, while water utilities to 1,000 homes was disrupted and phone service was erratic.

Thirty-four people evacuated their homes, while six residences and 16 non-residential buildings were damaged, the prefecture said. Four ships were also sunk or damaged.

Reconstruction work was underway, but the total cost of the damage was not yet clear, Machida said.

TERRA.WIRE