At least eight people were killed by powerful Typhoon Jebi, which hit western Japan, the Kyodo news agency reported on Wednesday.

More than 200 people were injured by the storm.

The most affected areas were Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo Prefectures, where the storm caused power outages and massive flooding. More than 1.6 mln houses were cut off electricity.

Some railway operators suspended services and a number of expressways were closed in the region.

Local airlines decided on Wednesday to cancel 184 international and domestic flights. Some 27,000 people were affected by the traffic disruption.

On Tuesday, the Kansai International Airport in Osaka was inundated. Nearly 5,000 people were trapped in its terminals. All of them have been evacuated by rescuers.

Typhoon Jebi, the most powerful storm in Japan over the past 25 years, is traveling in the northeastern direction and has almost crossed the entire western part of Japan. It is expected to move towards the northern Hokkaido Island. The tropical storm weakened during the day, but is still felt in Tokyo, carrying strong winds.