Typhoon Sepat hammers Taiwan, causes power outages

TAIPEI, Aug 18 (Reuters) Strong wind and rains lashed Taiwan as Typhoon Sepat made landfall on Saturday, cutting power supplies to more than 70,000 homes and forcing airlines to delay flights.

''In Taitung county, around 10,000 households were out of power, but repairs are already taking place,'' said an official from Taiwan's disaster centre.

Taitung is in the southeast of the island, where preparations for the onslaught have been under way for days as the storm approached from the sea, swiping the Philippines on the way.

''We haven't seen reports about landslides. There aren't any casualties so far, except for two people who were injured driving in Taitung in the middle of the bad weather,'' the official said.

At 0600 IST, the centre of the typhoon was 70 km southwest of the eastern coast of Hualien county, with sustained winds of 155 km per hour and gusts up to 191 km per hour.

Some flights from Taipei and Kaohsiung, Taiwan's two biggest cities, were either postponed or cancelled. Flights affected were bound for Hong Kong and cities in southeast Asia.

Typhoon Sepat is due to head towards China, where authorities from the southern province of Guangdong have warned that it could have a ''major effect'' and have urged people to prepare, Chinese newspapers said.

In the Philippines, over 380,000 people were affected by flooding, with more than 1,800 mainly in the northern province of Pampanga evacuated.

In Cavite, a province south of Manila, 20 families were stranded in 1.5 metres of flood water as garbage clogged rivers and canals. There were four minor landslides in the northern city of Baguio, but no reports of casualties.

In the northern parts of Manila, flooding was waist-deep and evacuation centres were bracing for more arrivals. In Malabon, one of the most densely populated areas of the capital, local radio reported residents renting out boats to pedestrians.

Reuters SZ VP0752