Typhoon Matmo lashes Taiwan

At least one person was killed as Typhoon Matmo swept through Taiwan on Wednesday.

The category-two tropical storm carried gusts of wind of over 150 kilometres an hour, causing some damage in the capital Taipei.

Heavy winds lashed central and northern Taiwan and torrential rain was forecast for virtually the entire island.

A man in the north died after falling into a pool on his farm. A tourist was reported missing after taking photos by the shore.

Yet many Taiwanese have taken the storm in their stride: “Five or six typhoons a year are not rare. In addition, construction nowadays is pretty modernised and the structures are quite strong so the storm’s impact doesn’t seem huge. I think everything should be fine although there may be some impact on plants,” said local resident Zhan Wen-qin.

Typhoons are common in the South China Sea at this time of year.

Last week Typhoon Ramassun killed dozens in the Philippines and China.

Matmo has been forecast to head north from Taiwan towards the Chinese mainland.