A massive typhoon has made landfall in eastern China, a day after carrying strong winds over Taiwan that felled trees and scattered debris, killing at least four people and injuring more than 260.
Typhoon Megi weakened to a tropical storm after hitting the coastal city of Quanzhou in Fujian province before dawn on Wednesday, packing winds of up to 118km/h, China's National Meteorological Centre said. No injuries were immediately reported.
In Taiwan on Tuesday, the typhoon's bands of heavy rain and sustained winds of 162km/h blanketed the island by mid-afternoon as the eye of the storm made landfall on the east coast. Authorities had raised alert levels for Taiwan, which is prone to landslides and flooding, said National Fire Agency Director-General Chen Wen-lung.
The 268 injuries included eight Japanese tourists travelling in a tour bus that turned on its side in central Taiwan. Three people suffered fatal falls and a fourth person died in a truck crash.
Megi is 500 kilometres in diameter, and rainfall had topped 300ml in the south and eastern mountains of Taiwan.
More than 8000 people were evacuated, mostly from mountainous areas at risk of landslides or floods.
Reuters
