Typhoon Talim heads for mainland
(Bloomberg.com)
Updated: 2005-09-01 16:34

Typhoon Talim, with winds gusting to as high as 162 kilometers per hour, headed for the Chinese mainland, after leaving two people dead and 39 injured in Taiwan.

The center of Talim was located 110 kilometers (66 miles) northeast of the city of Xiamen in Fujian province at 2 p.m., Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau said in an advisory on its Web site. Maximum sustained winds near the center of Talim are 126 kph. The storm is moving northwest at 24 kph and is forecast to slow to 15 kph, the bureau said.

Authorities evacuated 577,000 people in Fujian and Zhejiang provinces as coastal towns and cities prepared for the approach of Talim, Xinhua News Agency said, citing local governments.

Schools in coastal cities in Fujian were shut today and will be closed tomorrow and some airports and highways in the province were closed, Xinhua said.

Taiwan authorities yesterday ordered offices, markets and schools closed after earlier issuing land and sea warnings as Talim approached the island's northeast coast. Local people were recommended to stay home. Talim, the 13th named Pacific storm this year and the third to strike Taiwan, means cutting edge in Filipino.

The typhoon cut power and water, caused flight cancellations and prompted the Taiwan authorities to suspend most train services before it traveled across the Taiwan Strait.