The seventh typhoon to strike Japan this season, a record number, Songda hit the islands of Kyushu and Okinawa in the south, packing winds of up to 144 kilometers (90 miles) per hour, the meteorological agency said.

In the Kyushu region, more than one million homes were without electricity, Kyushu Electric Power said, while media reports said that nearly 400 domestic and international flights to and from Kyushu were cancelled by early Tuesday.

In the waters off Yamaguchi prefecture, near Kyushu, coastguards were attempting to rescue 22 seamen aboard a 6,300-tonne Indonesian freighter that issued a distress signal after running aground, but were hampered by the sever weather.

"We have dispatched nine coastguards to the area, along with several patrol boats. But we cannot go near Kasadoshima area, where we believe the ship is located, because of the typhoon," an official said.

A meteorological agency official said the weather system was moving northeast, bringing heavy rain and causing high waves and floods. He described the typhoon as "very big and strong."

The agency has issued warnings over the strong winds and rough waves in nearly all parts of southwestern Japan.

In the Kyushu region alone, more than 36,000 people were evacuated from their homes and taken to shelter at school gyms and public facilities. Some 53 people were injured.

In Fukuoka, a 62-year-old man was seriously injured after falling from the roof of his house where he was trying to carry out repairs, a local official said.

In Kagoshima prefecture, a large but unmanned ship under tow broke free and drifted for about 25 kilometers (15 miles) before running aground, a Japan Coast Guard official said.

Songda brought torrential rain and strong gusts to the Kyushu region as it landed near Nagasaki City, 950 kilometers (600 miles) southwest of Tokyo, the meteorological agency said.

The typhoon was moving northeast along the Sea of Japan (East Sea) coastline at a speed of 50 kilometers (30 miles) per hour, the agency said.

In South Korea, heavy rains were lashing the southern provinces as the typhoon skirted the country's largest island of Jeju, officials said.

The typhoon was approaching the southern port city of Busan, packing winds of up to 150 kilometers per hour, according to the national weather service.

Kang Keun-Ho, 60, was reported missing while trying to anchor a ship in Busan. In nearby Masan, two people were injured when a roadside tree fell on a taxi.

Tens of thousands of boats took shelter in Busan and other ports and flights and ferry services were canceled in the region.

The typhoon had brought 152 millimeters (six inches) of rain to the Sea of Japan (East Sea) island of Ulleung.

The weather agency forecast heavy rains of up to 250 millimeters in southern and southeastern coast areas.

"The typhoon is expected to move away into the East Sea later in the day after skirting Busan," an agency official told AFP.

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