Powerful typhoon hit Taiwan

A powerful typhoon hit Taiwan, with strong winds and heavy rains, leaving two million households without electricity and two dead, local media reported, according to the Patria news agency.

Typhoon Soudelor caused landslides early in the morning in the eastern parts of the islands of Yilan and Hualien, while up to 1,000 millimeters of rain fell in the mountainous northeastern regions, with winds reaching 200 kilometers per hour.

"This is one of the worst typhoons I have ever seen. My car was shaking while I was driving. Many trees have been felled," said an engineer who was inspecting water pumping stations early in the morning.

Authorities issued flood and landslide warnings, and media report that at least two people died during the storm.

In the capital, Taipei, large steel plates and bars were torn from a half-built stadium, and city authorities suspended some bus and subway lines.

Hundreds of people were evacuated as the storm approached the island across the Pacific Ocean on Friday, and the military put tens of thousands of soldiers and thousands of vehicles on standby for rescue operations.

Typhoons are common at this time of year in the South China Sea and the Pacific, gaining strength from warm water and losing it on land.