Strong winds from typhoon hit Taiwan, killing at least 4

TAIPEI, TAIWAN >> Strong winds knocked down people and scattered debris as a massive typhoon crossed over Taiwan on Tuesday, killing at least four people and injuring more than 260, officials said.

Typhoon Megi’s bands of heavy rain and sustained winds of 100 miles per hour blanketed the island by midafternoon as the eye of the storm made landfall on the east coast.

Authorities had raised alert levels for Taiwan, which is prone to landslides and flooding, said National Fire Agency Director-General Chen Wenlung.

The 268 injuries included eight Japanese tourists traveling in a tour bus that turned on its side in central Taiwan. Three people suffered fatal falls and a fourth person died in a truck crash, said Lee Weisen, a spokesman for Taiwan’s Central Emergency Operations Center. Many of the injuries were from falling and wind-blown objects.

Megi is 310 miles in diameter, and rainfall had topped 12 inches in the south and eastern mountains.

“The rainfall problem will get increasingly severe as the storm passes over,” Lee said. “We’ve got to see whether the amount of rain has a big impact. The only good news is that it’s moving fast on its way over Taiwan.”

More than 8,000 people had been evacuated, mostly from mountainous areas at risk of landslides or floods. About 2,800 went to shelters, Chen said.

More than 2.9 million households lost power, though 976,000 had been restored by late evening, according to Taiwan’s Central News Agency.

More than 121 flights were delayed and 253 canceled at Taoyuan International Airport, and seven were diverted to other Taiwanese airports. Authorities had closed schools, offices and most of Taiwan’s railway system.

Megi is the fourth typhoon of the year to hit Taiwan.

On the Chinese coast, about 100 miles from Taiwan at its nearest point, fishing boats were ordered back to port, China’s official Xinhua News Agency said.