Typhoon leaves at least 4 dead, 268 injured in Taiwan

By Mahmut Atanur

BEIJING

A strong typhoon left at least four person dead and 268 others injured Tuesday as it swept through Taiwan, causing more than 3.16 million homes to experience power outages.

The official Central News Agency cited the Central Emergency Operation Center as saying that most of the casualties were due to road accidents, drowning and people being struck by flying debris or objects falling from rooftops.

Typhoon Megi made landfall in eastern Hualien City in the afternoon, bringing strong winds of nearly 100 kilometers (62 miles) per hour and torrential rains.

According to the Taiwan Power Company, nearly every city and county reported power outages. More than 8,000 residents of disaster-prone areas were evacuated as of Tuesday morning.

Flights to and from two major airports in the island’s north were disrupted, while bullet train and regular train services were cancelled -- with the exception of a limited number of commuter trains.

Earlier this month, another typhoon -- Meranti -- left around 30 people dead and 15 missing in China and Taiwan.