Typhoon Dujuan kills two in Taiwan

A local resident collects stones from the Xindian river after Typhoon Dujuan passed in the New Taipei City (29 Sept 2015)AFP

Authorities have warned there is still a danger from strong waves whipped up by the storm

Two people have been killed by a powerful typhoon which swept Taiwan on Monday night.

About 1.8 million homes lost power during Typhoon Dujuan, which brought gusts of up to 227km/h (141mph).

Thousands of people had been evacuated from vulnerable areas ahead of the arrival of the storm, and tens of thousands of troops were on standby.

Some areas received more than 900mm of rain in just one day, about one third the average annual rainfall for Taiwan.

Dujuan brought down shop fronts in the capital, Taipei

Scooters left out in the storm were knocked down like dominos by the strong winds

AFP

The banks of Taipei's Xindian river were littered with storm debris on Tuesday morning

Dujuan weakened as it headed over China's south-eastern Fujian province on Tuesday morning.

Gig cancelled

In addition to the elderly person and construction worker who died, more than 300 people were injured in Taiwan, says the BBC's Cindy Sui in the capital, Taipei.

Schools have remained closed for a second day while air and rail transportation are disrupted. Authorities have warned there is still a risk of mudslides and high waves in coastal areas.

The storm forced US rock band Bon Jovi to cancel their gig in Taipei for a second night.

The two gigs would have been the band's first in Taiwan in 20 years - the Tuesday night performance had only been added after China abruptly cancelled the Beijing leg of their tour.

Heavy winds have battered Taiwan ahead of Typhoon Dujuan arriving

Around 3,000 people, mostly tourists, were evacuated from Taiwan's Green Island and Orchid Island on Sunday, with around 4,000 more moved from vulnerable areas on Monday.

Some of those were transported from the hot spring town of Wulai, near Taipei. Wulai was badly hit by Typhoon Soudelor in August and the Weather Bureau warned that rubble left over from that could cause more damage this time.

Soudelor, the most powerful storm of the season so far, killed at least eight people in Taiwan and a further 21 in China.

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