Powerful Typhoon Khanun hit Japan's southwestern Okinawa and Kagoshima prefectures for a second straight day on Thursday, leaving at least two people dead and 64 others injured, public broadcaster NHK reported.

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, the season's sixth typhoon is projected to slowly head west-northwest while maintaining strength over the East China Sea. Khanun, which means "jackfruit" in Thai, had an atmospheric pressure of 940 hectopascals at its center, packing winds of up to 162 km per hour, the weather agency said. The weather officials urged people in Okinawa Prefecture to be on high alert as Khanun nears Okinawa's Miyakojima Island, about 2,000 km southwest of Tokyo.

The typhoon has also triggered severe blackouts, with about 24 percent of households in Okinawa suffering power outage blackouts on Thursday, Okinawa Electric Power Co. said. It also disrupted transportation, causing the cancelation of flights, monorail and bus services while at least 314 flights were canceled, affecting more than 40,000 passengers.

Source: Kuwait News Agency