Taipei (AsiaNews / Agencies) – The toll from the passage of typhoon Soundelor is of four dead, four missing and dozens injured. The typhoon hit Taiwan in the early hours of this morning with strong winds and heavy rains. After causing landslides on the eastern coast, uprooting trees in the central area and a landslide in a village in the northern region of Taoyuan, the cyclone is now heading towards the province of Fujian in mainland China, where 158 thousand people have already been evacuated.
Nearly 700 thousand homes were left without electricity, with some areas completely flooded due to torrential rains. The inhabitants of the village of Taoyuan were evacuated in time and avoided casualties. However, rivers of mud flooded the streets and about 10 houses are nearly submerged.
The four victims are a fireman, in the southern county of Pintung; a man from the coastal town of Suao, hit by a billboard; an 8 year old girl and her mom, swept away by the sea. The little girl's twin is among the missing.
In anticipation of the arrival of Soundelor, yesterday the authorities evacuated more than 4 thousand people, including 2 thousand tourists who were in the popular Green Island and Orchid Island. About 1,300 people were housed in temporary shelters scattered throughout the island. Today, schools and offices remained closed.
Tatungè town suffered the intense flooding, with over a meter of rain fall in the last two days. An elderly lady told the national Formosa TV, she had "never seen such a powerful typhoon in 60 years of life."
The strongest winds we recorded at Suao, where gusts blew at 237 kilometers per hour.
At least 80 international flights were canceled and the services of high-speed trains have been suspended.
Fujian authorities have evacuated at least 158 thousand people and called than 32 thousand fishing boats back to harbor more. The Continental China National Meteorological Center has forecast that Soundelor will cause landslides in Fujian tonight, probably between the cities of Fuzhou and Xiamen.