50 injured as Typhoon Megi hits Taiwan
Homes and offices evacuated for third storm in two weeks
TAIPEI // Typhoon Megi made landfall in Taiwan yesterday, the third storm to hit the island in two weeks, with thousands fleeing to safety, schools and offices closed and hundreds of flights disrupted.
More than 50 people were injured as the typhoon brought violent winds and torrential rain across the island through- out the morning before making landfall at 2pm Taipei time.
The central news agency said a bus was bowled over by winds on a motorway in the centre of Taiwan, injuring three Japanese tourists.
Billboards and scaffolding were torn down, and television footage showed waves surging past breakwaters in the north-eastern county of Yilan and the outlying Orchid Island.
More than 8,000 people have been taken to safety from their homes and about 2,800 are in shelters, according to the central emergency operations base. At least 2 million homes have lost power.
Four hundred international and domestic flights were cancelled and more than 400 delayed. Most trains and ferries were halted.
In the capital Taipei, bus services and overground metro trains were suspended as some roads were flooded.
More than 900 millimetres of rain had fallen in the mountainous areas of Yilan as of yesterday afternoon, reports said.
The weather bureau said accumulated rainfall in mountainous areas could reach 130 centimetres before the storm moved on, increasing the risk of landslides. “Typhoon Megi has maintained its strength after making landfall and will continue to bring strong winds and rains until tomorrow morning,” said forecaster Shang Ching-sheng. More than 35,000 soldiers were on standby to help with disaster relief.
Before the storm hit, 3,700 tourists were taken to shelters at the weekend from Orchid Island and Green Island.