Nine dead and thousands flee as typhoon sweeps across China

Six people have been reported dead in the wake of Soudelor, which has also left four others missing and more than 100 injured.

A man was washed away by flood water near his home in Xindian, New Taipei.

Among those killed by the storm in Taiwan were a mother and her eight-year-old daughter, who were on the island’s east coast beach when the surging swells from the Pacific dragged the pair out to sea.

Typhoon Soudelor made landfall in China late Saturday in southeastern Fujian province and moved from there to neighboring Zhejiang and Jiangxi provinces.

The storm downed trees, traffic lights and power lines on the island, causing more than 4 million households to lose electricity. According to forecasts, it was expected to move to other parts of the region, which forced the evacuation of about 158,000 people and the return of the ships to port before the arrival of the typhoon.

Soudelor has already caused devastation along its journey, particularly on the island of Saipan.

In Manjhou Township, Pingtung County, a 48-year-old fire captain was killed and his squad member severely injured as they were clearing a fallen tree from a road and were struck by a drunk driver.

People wade through a flooded street at a town hit by Typhoon Soudelor in Ningde, Fujian province, China, August 9, 2015.

Train and ferry services were suspended, and all 279 domestic flights were canceled Saturday, as well as at least 37 worldwide flights as winds up to 90 miles per hour were reported at Taipei’s Taoyuan airport.

Taiwan lifted its typhoon warning Sunday but the weather bureau warned of further heavy rains in the south.

Nine coastal provinces and cities, including Fujian, Guangdong, Shanghai and Zhejiang will be hit by downpours and gales in the following days with Soudelor expected to last until at least Tuesday.

“When it makes landfall in Fujian, it will be significantly weaker, basically the strength of a typhoon or severe tropical storm”, the government agency’s chief forecaster Qian Chuanhai told state television.

On Friday afternoon, marine police rescued 55 university students and teachers trapped on a small island where they had been attending a summer camp, Xinhua said.

Causing further strife for residents, the high prices of vegetables often seen prior to typhoons emerged, increasing the cost – especially for leafy green vegetables – by 15 and 45 percent, the report added.

President Barack Obama has declared the Northern Marianas a disaster area and ordered federal aid to help the U.S. territory.