Powerful winds and torrential rains brought by Typhoon Talim pounded eastern Taiwan on Wednesday as the central weather bureau warned residents across the island against floods.
Talim’s centre was 350km east-southeast of Hualien county at 2.15am GMT, the bureau said.
With a radius of 250km, the typhoon was moving west-northwest at a speed of 21kph, packing winds at its centre of up to 184kph.
The bureau warned that Talim was gathering strength and threatened to bring heavy rains across the island overnight. Offices and schools were to close later on Wednesday in cities in eastern and central Taiwan.
Earlier this month, Typhoon Matsa struck Taiwan with torrential rains and strong winds, forcing financial offices and schools to close and disrupting water and power supplies to thousands of households.
In August last year, Typhoon Aere claimed 24 lives when strong winds and downpours triggered mudslides that buried an entire village in the mountains of northern Hsinchu county. — AFP
