Photo via Twitter/jfritz2
The center of a powerful typhoon slammed into Taiwan Saturday morning, local time, leaving at least six dead, four missing and 101 injured, the Associated Press reported.
In addition to the human toll, the AP said 3 million households lost power, and all 279 domestic flights were canceled Saturday, along with at least 37 international flights.
Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau said, via the AP, that Soudelor's center made landfall in eastern Taiwan at 4:40 a.m. Saturday. Around mid-morning, Soudelor was pummeling the island with maximum sustained winds of 100 miles per hour.
Later on Saturday, the storm weakened a bit, with winds topping out at 89 mph, the AP said, as it moved on in a northwesterly direction - headed right for southeast China.
The Fujian province is expected to get the worst of it, and provincial authorities said, as per the AP, that 163,000 people have been evacuated and ships ordered back to port ahead of the typhoon. Also, more than 7,000 soldiers and police were on standby.
Meanwhile, the region's airlines are reporting air travel snarls in Taiwan and eastern China, so all travelers in the area are urged to check with their carriers for up-to-the-minute information. In addition to airline warning tweets, China Airlines advised fliers to keep an eye on its arrival/departure website and Cathay Pacific has provided a page with specific numbers for the flights that have been delayed or canceled.
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