A powerful typhoon has hit Taiwan, leaving at least four people dead and many more injured. Video showed a mountain village bing engulfed as a mudslide swept away everything in its path. Hundreds have been evacuated from east coast areas. On Friday, flights were cancelled and offices and schools closed across the country. The island’s high speed rail service will also be suspended on Saturday. Taiwan’s military said it has put thousands of troops and vehicles on reserve for rescue operations as flood warnings are being issued. The typhoon has been labelled a category 3 storm on a scale of 1 to 5 but is expected to quickly reach category 4. Its winds have reached 173 kph (107 mph) close to its centre, the Central Weather Bureau said. Waves along the coast up to 5 meters high have been reported by local media.
