Typhoon weakens over southeast China after Taiwan deaths

The typhoon, expected to land between the cities of Jinjiang and Fuqing this evening, will pose a serious threat to Fujian, the provincial meteorological station said.

Bracing themselves against the strong winds and torrential downpours brought by Typhoon Soudelor, fans waited overnight just to be the in the first group of fair-goers to enter the exhibition venue, an annual festival for local comic, anime and manga fans.

The Central Weather Bureau said residents in central southern Taiwan should be on severe weather alert, even as Soudelor moves away from the island and barrels toward China, according to the China Post.

Power lines, traffic lights and trees have been brought down, and nearly two million households are without electricity.

Taiwan’s death toll rose to six after an eight-year-old girl who went missing Thursday after being swept out to sea with her mother and twin sister was found dead.

Other casualties include a firefighter who was killed after being hit by a motorist as he attempted to move a fallen tree, the news agency said.

The centre of the storm made landfall in eastern Taiwan at 4.40am. According to Accuweather, the typhoon had winds up to 125 miles per hour, the equivalent of a Category 3 hurricane. More than nine inches of rain were reported there with the threat of flooding and gusty winds remaining high.

As reported by the media, 6 citizens of Taiwan died due to the typhoon “Soudelo”.

At least four people have been killed since the typhoon hit, while another four are missing and 64 have been injured.

Chinese authorities have ordered the evacuation of about 158,000 people and ships back to port ahead of the typhoon.

Three airports were closed and more than 530 flights canceled, while more than 7,000 soldiers and police were on standby, provincial authorities said. Hundreds of flights were delayed or cancelled and more than 9,900 people were evacuated.

Heavy rains were forecast through Sunday morning in the northern part of Fujian.

On Friday afternoon, marine police rescued 55 university students and teachers trapped on a small island where they had been attending a summer camp, after strong gales stopped ferry services, China’s official Xinhua News Agency reported.

It is ripping up trees and tearing down billboards, and triggered a landslide in at least one village.