Death toll climbs as Typhoon Shanshan continues to pound Japan

Aug. 31 (UPI) -- The death toll from Typhoon Shanshan climbed to six people Saturday, while at least 172 more have been injured as the massive tropical cyclone slowly moves across Japan.

More Japanese bullet trains were canceled Saturday as the storm moved across Shikoku, the smallest of Japan's four major islands.

The majority of the injuries have taken place on the island of Kyushu, one of the first spots hit by the typhoon, which is continuing its eastern trajectory.

Shanshan was located off the Kii Peninsula on the Japanese island of Honshu as of the latest update issued by the Japan Meteorological Agency at 6 p.m. local time Saturday.

The storm was moving eastward at 9.3 mph with winds gusting up to 56 mph. Sustained winds are blowing at around 40 mph.

Forecasters expect the storm to weaken to a tropical depression by Monday but continue to dump heavy amounts of rain, triggering warnings for mudslides and flooding rivers.

Rainfall in some parts of the island nation eclipsed 15.7 inches over a 48-hour period by Saturday evening, including Kyushu.

Other areas are predicting up to 12 inches (300 mm) will fall by Sunday evening.

Train service has been canceled or severely curtailed since the storm first hit Japan earlier this week.

Hundreds of flights were canceled Friday, as were trains in several parts of the country. A number of major highways and expressways also remained closed across because of the intense wind and rain caused by the tropical cyclone.

In some areas, high-speed rail trains have been suspended, leaving only periodic regional service functioning.

The Central Japan Railway said Saturday it will extend service cancellations on most of its Tokaido Shinkansen Line through at least Sunday. The corridor is the most-used high-speed rail line in the country, with trains normally departing every few minutes.

Service on some of the company's eastern routes has returned to normal, although it also said interruptions could continue in western Japan through next Tuesday.

The West Japan Railway Company told passengers Saturday to expect service reduction through Sunday on most of its routes.