Typhoon hits China after killing two in Taiwan

Typhoon Talim swept into southern China on Thursday after killing two people in Taiwan and injuring 39 as the island shut businesses, schools and financial markets to ride out the storm. Talim cut power lines, toppled billboards and tore up trees, while heavy rain led to flooding in some towns in central Taiwan.
The number of households in Taiwan without power was as high as 1.48 million at one point, but electricity had since been restored to about half, officials said. Some 48,500 households were without running water.
The average windspeed had died down to about 126 kmh (78 mph) with gusts at 162 kmh.
The centre of the storm crossed into China's Fujian province around 0630 GMT, bringing heavy winds and strong rain that knocked out power to large parts of the provincial capital, Fuzhou, the news Web site www.sina.com.cn reported.
Eastern Zhejiang province had evacuated more than 290,000 people and called nearly 30,000 boats back to port, the Web site said.
Taiwan's National Fire Administration's disaster response centre said one man in south Taiwan drowned in a fish pond on Wednesday after losing his footing.
A car-rental firm employee was blown off the seventh storey of a multilevel car park late on Wednesday in Miaoli city in north Taiwan while checking on the company's fleet, the administration said.
The winds that had ripped through Taipei in the early hours had weakened by the time the capital awoke, leaving a trail of uprooted trees and collapsed street signs.
"The winds were really fierce and it was very dangerous driving through the torrential rain last night," said taxi driver Tsai Ming-wang, who had just finished an overnight shift.
"I heard a loud bang and saw scaffolding had crashed into the street right next to my car. It was a close shave."
Typhoons frequently menace Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, Hong Kong and southern China during the storm season that lasts from early summer to late autumn. Typhoon Haitang killed 12 people in July, with three still listed as missing.
In 2001, one of Taiwan's deadliest years for storms, Typhoon Toraji, killed 200 people. A few months later, Typhoon Nari caused Taipei's worst flooding on record and killed 100.