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Typhoon Sinlaku hits Taiwan, 13 injured and 782 affected

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-09-14 21:02

TAIPEI - Typhoon Sinlaku, the 13th tropical storm so far this year in China, injured 13 people when it hit northeastern Taiwan at 1:50 a.m. on Sunday.

Dark clouds stretch across the skyline as Typhoon Sinlaku approaches Shacheng Port, Fuding City, East China's Fujian Province, September 14, 2008. [Xinhua]

The typhoon landed in Yilan County, Taiwan, with winds up to 45 meters per second, monitored by the Fujian provincial meteorological observatory at 5:00 a.m..

More than 130,000 households suffered a power blackout, and 800 lost their water supply, which has yet to be reconnected. A total of 32 shelters have been built for 782 typhoon victims, local authority said.

Work and schools were suspended in 21 counties and cities on the island on Sunday.

In Fujian and Zhejiang provinces on the Chinese mainland, more than 170,000 people were evacuated from low-lying coastal regions.

The foehn phenomenon, a rare warm dry wind triggered by Sinlaku, swept through Taitung County from Saturday noon to Sunday morning, lasting about 18 hours.

Foehn phenomenon always comes off the lee slopes of a mountain range.

At 12:55 a.m. on Saturday, the local temperature increased from 29.7 degrees centigrade to 31.7, with a low humidity. Temperatures then experienced a sharp increase to 35 degrees centigrade in seven minutes. At 4:00 p.m., the temperature reached 37.8 high.