Tokyo ( CNN ) -- At least 18 people have died and 44 people are missing after Typhoon Wipha pummeled the Tokyo area on Wednesday . The majority died after heavy rain triggered flooding and landslides that blocked roads and crushed houses in Oshima , a small island 120 km ( 75 miles ) south of Tokyo , a local official said . One woman died in the Tokyo metropolitan area but the capital was largely spared significant damage . Forty one people were still missing on the offshore island as of Thursday morning local time . iReport : Heavy winds near Tokyo as Typhoon Wipha hits . More than 500 domestic and international flights were canceled at Tokyo 's Narita and Haneda airports and the national rail operator halted bullet train services in central and northern Japan . The typhoon moved north along the Pacific coast of Japan and was expected to reach the northernmost island of Hokkaido by late Wednesday . Tokyo Electric Power Company ( TEPCO ) , the main electricity supplier in Tokyo and central Japan , said blackouts affected more than 56,000 households . TEPCO , which has been struggling to deal with a series of leaks at its Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant , said workers at the plant were `` on vigil '' and accumulated rainwater had been released from storage tanks . Typhoon Nari pounds the Philippines , killing 13 .
NEW : 44 people have died , More than 500 missing after Haneda hits the Tokyo area . TEPCO , a small island south of Tokyo , has been hardest hit . More than 500 domestic and international flights were canceled . The typhoon is moving north along the Pacific coast of Tokyo .