Two dead in typhoon, moves onto China

Two people try to shelter from Typhoon Dujuan which swept Taiwan. Photo: Reuters
Two people try to shelter from Typhoon Dujuan which swept Taiwan. Photo: Reuters

China ordered tens of thousands of boats back to shore and closed tourist attractions as a typhoon made landfall in the eastern province of Fujian after leaving two dead and hundreds injured in Taiwan.

Fujian authorities told more than 30,000 fishing boats, carrying around 160,000 people, to return to shore as Typhoon Dujuan approached on Monday (local time), state media reported, citing the flood control office.

The reports made no mention of any casualties in mainland China. The Taiwanese government said on Tuesday two people were killed and 324 people injured as Dujuan swept across the island.

The storm had weakened since it hit the coastal city of Putian at about 8.50 am, state media said, although torrential rain swept Fujian.

Tourist attractions were closed in several districts in the vicinity. Strong gales and towering waves also hit neighbouring Zhejiang province, one of China's industrial powerhouses, state media reported.

In Taiwan, more than a million people faced power outages and hundreds of thousands were left without water. Financial markets there were also closed on Tuesday.

Maximum wind speeds reached about 120kmh the official Xinhua news agency reported, citing the Fujian Meteorological Service.

The Tropical Storm Risk website forecast that the storm would continue losing strength on Tuesday.

Super typhoon Soudelor killed eight people in Taiwan and cut power to more than 4 million households last month.

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