Taiwan recovering after Typhoon Nepartak kills two
Power is being restored in parts of Taiwan after a powerful typhoon slammed into the island's eastern coast with ferocious winds and torrential rains, killing two people and injuring 72.
Typhoon Nepartak made landfall in Taitung county, grounding planes and fishing boats. More than 15,000 people were evacuated.
In the Philippine capital Manila and outlying provinces, government work and classes were suspended on Friday as typhoon-induced monsoon rains drenched many regions. Rescuers used rubber boats to move people around in waist-high floodwaters.
Nepartak later weakened to a medium-strength typhoon, packing maximum sustained winds of 100mph and gusts of up to 143mph, Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau said.
It was forecast to reach mainland China's Fujian province on Saturday morning.
In Taiwan, about 430,000 households were affected by power cuts, but half of them had electricity restored in the afternoon.
The island's railway services were suspended, while more than 600 domestic and international flights were cancelled on Friday.
Although the typhoon was losing power, disaster response officials remain concerned that the heavy rains could trigger floods and landslides in the rugged terrain.
Taiwanese authorities reported that more than 15,400 people had been evacuated from 14 counties and cities.
Nepartak is a Micronesian word for a local warrior.
