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Typhoon Malakas to sweep through Taiwan

September 17, 2016

After Super Typhoon Meranti wreaked havoc in parts of China and Taiwan and killed at least 15 people, strong winds and heavy rains from a second storm have pounded Taiwan and islands in the southern Japanese archipelago.

https://p.dw.com/p/1K4BI
A motorist holds on to a post as she braves high winds and rain of Super Typhoon Meranti in Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan, 14 September 2016 (Photo: picture-alliance/dpa/R. B. Tongo)
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/R. B. Tongo

Chinese authorities said Saturday that Typhoon Meranti killed at least 13 people in the eastern Fujian and Zhejiang provinces. At least 14 people are still missing. The super typhoon, which made landfall early Thursday, also claimed two lives in Taiwan.

The storm was the strongest recorded since Super Typhoon Haiyan developed in 2013.

A second typhoon, Malakas, is expected to hit Taiwan on Saturday, but heavy rainfall and strong winds have already devastated parts of the country. More than 550 households lost electricity on Japan's Yonaguni Island as winds up to 66.8 meters per second were recorded Saturday morning.

According to Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau, torrential rain is expected in the country's northern and northeastern regions on Saturday. But the season's 16th typhoon is moving slower than previously expected, the state-run Central News Agency said.

"The strength of Typhoon Malakas is not likely to change. Residents should stay alert to heavy rain during daytime Saturday," bureau forecaster Chen Yi-liang said.

Officials in the Taiwanese capital, Taipei, closed offices and schools on Saturday in anticipation of Typhoon Malakas.

shs/sms (AP, dpa)