More than 80 people were injured after a strong typhoon swept across Taiwan on Sunday that forced the capital to shut down essential services and knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of homes.
The government said that nearly 40 people were trapped in the southern parts of the island, mainly due to floodwaters. According to the Central Weather Bureau, "Typhoon Nesat," a medium strength typhoon, made landfall on Saturday and it is expected to lash the island over the course of two days, affecting the south most heavily.
The bureau said that the wind speeds of the typhoon were clocked at around 119 kilometres per hour (70 mph). The government said in a statement that over 80 rescue workers were injured along with three other people who had been sent to hospital. Reports said that a number of the injured rescue personnel were hit by falling debris, with two suffering severe injuries.
The authorities said that all work and scheduled classes were cancelled in the capital Taipei on Saturday evening and all of Sunday. The city shut down trash collection services, bike rental services, and altered its subway schedules.
Eva Airways Corp, the international air carrier of Taiwan said that it had cancelled 42 round-trip flights, which will affect nearly 10,000 passengers. On Sunday, cities and counties across the island cancelled work and classes.
The storm also knocked out the power of about half a million homes at one point. As of Sunday morning, the government said about 360,000 households had their electricity restored.
China's official state media Xinhua reported that more than 3,100 people were evacuated to the shore from fish farms to brace for the typhoon's impact in China's Fujian province.
The weather authorities expect the storm to hit mainland China early on Sunday, and torrential rain is expected through to Wednesday.
