Typhoon Talas dumps rain on southern Japan; two people dead

TOKYO -- Powerful Typhoon Talas inched across south-central Japan on Saturday, dumping rain and buffeting a wide swath of the archipelago with strong winds. At least two people died and five others were reported missing.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said the center of the typhoon, the 12th of the season, was moving north at less than 6 mph across Okayama prefecture Saturday evening after crossing the southern island of Shikoku. Because of the storm's slow speed, the agency warned that heavy rains and strong winds could lead to flooding and landslides.

Kyodo News agency said 3,200 people were evacuated in 16 prefectures.

A woman who appeared to be in her 30s was declared dead after she was found in a river in Ehime prefecture on Shikoku, police said.

A 73-year-old man in Nara prefecture died after a landslide caused his house to collapse, police said.

Media reports said five others were missing, including a 75-year-old woman who was swept away in a swollen river in Shikoku's Tokushima prefecture.