Taipei, July 7: Typhoon Danas brought heavy winds and torrential rains to parts of Taiwan early Monday, killing two people and injuring more than 300 on the island's densely populated west coast. The typhoon lost intensity and was downgraded to a tropical storm as it moved into the Taiwan Strait on a forecast path to China. Danas knocked out power for more than 580,000 households, and schools and offices were closed across southern and central parts of Taiwan.

The typhoon made landfall on the west coast late Sunday with maximum sustained winds of 144 kph (89 mph). It dumped more than 60 centimeters (24 inches) of rain in places, causing landslides and flooding. Typhoon Yagi News Updates: Powerful Typhoon Kills 14 in Vietnam as Officials Warn of Heavy Rain That Can Cause Flooding.

Typhoon Danas Crosses Taiwan

Two deaths were reported in the southwestern city of Tainan, according to the National Fire Agency. One person died when their vehicle was struck by a falling tree, while another died after his respirator malfunctioned due to losing power.

At least 334 people suffered injuries, while more than 3,400 people were forced to evacuate – mostly from mountainous areas around the southern port city of Kaohsiung. Thousands of tourists were stranded on Taiwan's outlying islands of Penghu, Matsu and Green due to the cancellations of ferry services and flights. Typhoon Ampil: Japan Cancels Flights and Suspends Bullet Trains as Storm Gathers Strength in Western Pacific.

Areas of southern and eastern China made preparations ahead of the storm, which is expected to reach the mainland Tuesday afternoon. Authorities in southern Guangdong province called hundreds of vessels to port and evacuated more than 2,000 people from offshore facilities. Two cities in the eastern Zhejiang province suspended ferry services and construction work.

Danas earlier intensified seasonal monsoon rains in the Philippines' northern mountains, flooding low-lying villages and forcing more than 3,000 people to flee to emergency shelters. Taiwan routinely sees tropical storms between July and October, but they are more common on its sparsely populated eastern coast facing the Pacific.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)