Super-Typhoon Meranti has hit the southern part of Taiwan with record-breaking winds and heavy rains. Electricity has been cut for tens of thousands of houses and transport has been disrupted.
The Meranti headed toward China while toppling trees on its way just before a four-day weekend in the country beginning Thursday, Mid-Autumn Festival holiday.
Taipei-based Apple Daily revealed the wind speeds was 52.2 meters per second and considered to be the fastest since 1896 when record-keeping started.
Civil Aeronautics Administration said most of the inbound as well as outbounds flights were canceled in the southern port city of Kaohsiung.
Eight flights of Cathay Pacific were canceled between Hong Kong and Kaohsiung and EVA Airways too revealed eight flights of their were canceled in or out of Kaohsiung.
The Taiwan Railways Administration too has suspended several trains for the routes in south and east of Taiwan.
Taiwan Power Co. said about 78,000 homes was without power during the typhoon.
At around 9 a.m. the winds speed was as much as 163 miles per hour, revealed Central Weather Bureau. Later the speed of winds moving northwest was at 11 miles per hour.
