Tokyo, Dhu-AlHijjah 22, 1438, September 13, 2017, SPA -- A powerful typhoon was spinning close to southern Japanese islands on Wednesday with devastating winds and high waves, weather authorities said, according to dpa. The Japan Meteorological Agency said Typhoon Talim is on course to hit Miyako Island and its neighbouring islands later in the day, putting them on maximum alert. Ninety flights and 224 passenger ships were cancelled in Okinawa prefecture, according to the Okinawa Times newspaper, as the agency warned the season's 18th typhoon could generate waves of up to 11 metres and maximum gusts of 216 kilometres per hour (kph). The storm is also expected to dump rainfall of up to 200 millimetres in the Okinawa island region by Thursday morning, the agency said. As of 8 am (2300 GMT Tuesday), the storm was centred about 140 kilometres east-south-east of Miyako Island, travelling west-north-west at 15 kph with maximum sustained winds of 144 kph and gusts of 198 kph. --SPA 03:49 LOCAL TIME 00:49 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w486203