6 dead as Deadly Typhoon Soudelor strikes Taiwan

A powerful Typhoon soudelor pounded Taiwan with fierce winds and torrential rain on Saturday, killing at least six people .

Typhoon soudelor, which slammed into the country with winds of more than 230 km/per hour, made landfall on the eastern coast on Saturday and is now moving across the island.

It ripped off trees and tore down billboards. It also triggered a landslide in at least one village.

As a result, about two million households had been left without electricity. Rail services and flights had also been cancelled and all schools and offices closed.

The storm is later expected to move into the Taiwan strait and on 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.

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 had picked up more than 30 centimeters (12 inches) of rain in 24 hours, according to Taiwan’s Central Weather Bureau.