China News  
Typhoon Longwang Hits China After Lashing Taiwan

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Beijing (AFP) Oct 02, 2005
Typhoon Longwang struck China's southeastern coast late Sunday night, Chinese state media said, after the cyclone churned across Taiwan, leaving one dead and dozens injured.

The typhoon made landfall near Jinjiang in China's Fujian province around 1330 GMT with winds of up to 120 kilometers (73 miles) per hour at its center, the Xinhua news agency reported.

Longwang also brought heavy rains, and forced the Xiamen city airport to close earlier Sunday, Xinhua said.

Some 376,000 people had been evacuated and nearly 40,000 boats brought back into harbour, local flood prevention officials told Xinhua.

The cyclone, with maximum winds of 145 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 185 kilometers per hour, was moving northwest at 16 kilometers per hour.

It hit the mainland after pounding Taiwan earlier in the day, leaving one person dead, one missing and 46 injured while disrupting flights and downing power lines.

The typhoon made landfall in eastern Taiwan early Sunday and left in the afternoon, the Central Weather Bureau said.

A 60-year-old man and his wife were hit by an iron bar which smashed into their home in the eastern town of Chian, said the National Fire Agency which is coordinating rescue operations.

The man died in hospital soon afterwards and his wife was in critical condition, the agency said.

A woman was washed away by flash floods in the central town of Hoping and was feared dead, it said.

Most of the 46 injured were hurt by flying debris or broken glass in the eastern county of Hualien which bore the brunt of the storm. A coastal community in Hualien was flooded when high waves smashed through an embankment.

All domestic and international flights were cancelled but international flights were expected to resume later Sunday, airport officials said.

Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian, who had been scheduled to return in the morning, detoured to the Indonesian resort island of Bali on his way back from the United Arab Emirates.

Strong winds brought down power lines and cut electricity to around 210,000 homes, but power was expected to be restored by the end of the day, the Taiwan Power Company said.

A freighter with nine Taiwanese and six Filipino sailors aboard ran aground off the eastern city of Hualien after it lost power in rough seas but the crew were not said to be in danger.

Typhoons Talim and Damrey left at least 140 dead and 31 missing in China, while killing three and injuring 59 in Taiwan last month. Earlier, Typhoon Khanun struck eastern China, killing at least 14 people.

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