Tropical storm Pabuk pounds Taiwan
TAIPEI (AFP) - Tropical storm Pabuk Wednesday pounded southern Taiwan with strong winds and torrential rains, disrupting traffic and power supplies, rescue authorities said.
Pabuk made landfall in southern Pingtung county early Wednesday, forcing the cancellation of 14 flights after airports in the area and on Green and Orchid islands were shut down, said the National Fire Agency.
Ferries between Taiwan's Kinmen island and the Chinese cities of Xiamen and Chuanzhou were suspended while some 3,729 mainland fishermen were taking shelter in Taiwan's harbours, it said.
The storm also left about 56,600 households without power in Pingtung, Taitung and Hualien where its impact was strongest and forced offices and schools to close.
The storm's centre was 140 kilometres (87 miles) south-southwest of Taiwan's Penghu island at 8:30 am (0030 GMT) Wednesday, according to the Central Weather Bureau.
Pabuk, named after a fish in Laos, was packing winds of up to 101 kilometres per hour and moving towards China's southeastern coast at a speed of 25 kilometres an hour.
The bureau was expected to lift its tropical storm warning around noon but warned of continuing downpours in parts of the island.
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