Typhoon Soudelor rips through Taiwan

More than 1.5 million homes were left without electricity on Saturday after Soudelor's torrential rain, accompanied by stormy waves, pounded Taiwan's coastline.

Wind speeds at the typhoon's center began at 173 kilometers per hour (108 mph) as it made landfall in Taiwan, but had slowed to 144 kilometers per hour by Saturday.

At least four people died, including a woman and her daughter who were swept out to sea - the first casualties when the storm hit on Thursday. The girl's twin has also been missing since.

Four others went missing, the Central Emergency Operation Center reported. At least 101 people were injured and more than 7,500 residents were evacuated from the mountains and coastal areas. Four thousand temporary shelters were put up to house residents. More than 170 international flights were canceled, as were high-speed train services. Nearly 2,000 tourists were also transferred from outlying islands.

A 'moderate typhoon'

According to Taiwan's Council of Agriculture, early warning systems showed that 110 rivers and streams in six counties had reached dangerous water levels. A mountain village in the northern Taoyuan region was almost completely submerged in mud.

"Flash mudslides surged into the village. About 10 of the homes were half buried, but people were evacuated last night and are in safe shelters," a spokesman for the Taoyuan fire agency told journalists.

The storm was now making its way to Fujian and Zheijang provinces in China, where 250,000 people had already been evacuated. Sixty-thousand fishing boats were ordered back to port after weather officials warned of heavy rains on China's eastern coast.

Soudelor is named after a legendary Micronesian chief and was described as a "moderate typhoon" by Taipei's weather bureau. Officials said the storm was expected to lose focus as its radius shrank.

mg/mkg (dpa, AFP)