4 dead as typhoon lashes Taiwan

taiwan-china-typhoon-waves-water-beach-severe-weather-typhoon-chan-hom.jpg@protect,0,0,1000,1000@crop,658,370,cTyphoon Soudelor pounded Taiwan with fierce winds and torrential rain Saturday, leaving four dead and dozens injured, state media reported.
Fatalities included a girl, 8, and her mother, who were swept out to sea, Taiwan’s Central News Agency reported.
After Taiwan, Soudelor will churn across the sea to mainland China. It is forecast to weaken by then, but is still predicted to pack hurricane-strength winds when it makes landfall late Saturday.The girl’s twin sister is unaccounted for, it said.
Soudelor made landfall north of the Taiwanese city of Hualien. Forecasters had predicted the storm would have maximum sustained winds at landfall of about 125 mph (200 kph), the equivalent of a Category 3 hurricane.
Authorities deployed more than 35,000 military personnel to relocate residents in vulnerable areas as the typhoon made its way across the Pacific Ocean.
Parts of northern Taiwan have picked up more than 12 inches (300 millimeters) of rain in 24 hours, according to Taiwan’s Central Weather Bureau.
Taiwanese airlines have announced flight adjustments, canceling a number of domestic and international flights for Saturday, according to Taiwan’s Central News Agency. Railways have likewise suspended high speed and regular train services, said the Agency.
The Central Weather Bureau has warned 16 cities and counties they’re likely to experience intense rain and powerful winds from Soudelor.
Soudelor became the strongest storm on the planet so far this year, with peak winds at 180 mph (290 kph), according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center.
Source: CNN

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