One person dies after storm whips up waves, while temperatures approach 50C as heatwave grips Middle East
Typhoon Podul crossed southern Taiwan on Wednesday with wind speeds of up to 110mph (177km/h), equivalent to a category 2 hurricane.
Podul had developed a week earlier, near the Northern Mariana Islands, and tracked west across the Philippine Sea, achieving typhoon status on Tuesday before making landfall in south-east Taiwan the following day.
Podul whipped up high waves along the east coast, where a man died after being swept away while fishing. As the storm travelled overland, it dumped large amounts of rain across the south of the island, with 440mm recorded in parts of Pingtung County, causing widespread flooding and agricultural damage.
Schools, offices and businesses closed as the storm approached, and more than 7,000 people were evacuated from their homes, mainly in mountainous regions, amid fears of flash flooding and landslides.
