One dead as typhoon brings heavy rains, high winds to Taiwan
Taipei - Powerful rains and winds brought by Typhoon Nepartak had killed at least one person in Taiwan and injured dozens, authorities said early Friday.
Nepartak made landfall in southeastern Taiwan's Taitung County at 5:50 am Friday (2150 GMT Thursday).
According to the Central Emergency Operation Centre, a man who died on Thursday after being swept off a beach in the eastern county of Hualien remains unidentified.
At least 66 people in eastern Taiwan were hit by falling trees or injured by glass, said Li Wei-sen, an official of the centre.
More than 151,000 families late Thursday were left without electricity and 2,000 families without tap water, Li said.
Authorities late Thursday issued landslide warnings for more than 700 mountainous areas due to increasing water levels in rivers. More than 15,000 residents were evacuated.
Weather forecasters said the storm weakened quickly while crossing the Central Mountain Range area, which exceeds 3,000 metres in altitude.
The typhoon will linger around Taiwan until late Friday as it slowly makes its way toward southern China, Chen Yi-liang of the Central Weather Bureau said early Friday.
Chen warned residents in southern Taiwan to avoid going out Friday and be prepared for heavy downpours.
Damaging winds reaching more than 200 kilometres per hour were detected by weather stations in eastern Taiwan, according to the bureau.
Local TV news images showed winds flipping over cars and breaking windows in Taitung City.
- DPA
