Typhoon Fanapi hits Taiwan

Business stopped in Taiwan on Sunday as a mid-strength typhoon made landfall, bringing heavy rains and strong wind gusts as officials scrambled to prevent a repeat of the devastation caused by a 2009 storm.

Typhoon Fanapi, Taiwan's most severe storm so far in 2010 with wind gusts of up to 123 mph, forced the cancellation of all domestic flights and a handful of international ones.

Fears of high winds also shut down the island's biggest ports, in Kaohsiung and Keelung.

Officials were on high alert after Taiwan's worst typhoon in five decades triggered mudslides that killed about 700 people in August 2009, prompting a cabinet reshuffle as residents accused the government of reacting too slowly.

The island's Central Weather Bureau issued warnings for sustained winds of up to 100mph as rainfall as high as 305mm in the north-eastern mountains.

About 6,500 people in mountain villages prone to mudslides were evacuated late on Saturday.