Powerful Typhoon Chaba has torn across southwestern Japan, killing four people and knocking out electricity for thousands as it made its way across the island of Kyushu, home to about a tenth of Japan's population,Reuters reports Monday.

The typhoon, one of the strongest to hit Japan this year, generated winds of up to 210 km (130 miles) per hour, near the highest on record for the area, public broadcaster NHK said.

More than 350,000 households in Kyushu, one of Japan's four main islands, were without power, Kyushu Electric Power Co. said.

About 6,000 people had left their homes to wait out the storm in shelters as authorities warned of flooding and landslides.

Television pictures showed people wading through knee-deep water in the streets of the city of Kagoshima, on the southern tip of Kyushu, while huge waves battered seaside buildings.

Transport was severely disrupted, with hundreds of flights cancelled in and out of southern Japan.

Many train and ferry services were cancelled and sections of motorways were closed due to the high winds.

Source: Agencies