Schools and workplaces close, hundreds of flights cancelled and thousands evacuate as Typhoon Podul slams island.
Typhoon Podul has blown through Taiwan’s south with winds as powerful as 191km/h (118mph), leaving one person missing, forcing thousands of people to evacuate, schools to close, and hundreds of flights to be cancelled.
The typhoon made landfall on Wednesday, slamming into the southeastern city of Taitung at about 1pm (05:00 GMT), passing through the southern tip of the island and then passing into the Taiwan Strait some five hours later, Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration (CWA) said.
One person was reported missing and 33 others injured, the government said.
It is expected to next make landfall on China’s southern coast late on Wednesday or early Thursday, affecting Fujian and Guangdong provinces, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.
