Typhoon Haikui slams into China, fire truck plunges into river

BEIJING - Heavy rains and powerful winds caused by typhoon Haikui have led to significant disruptions in southern China, as the typhoon reached the Chinese mainland on Tuesday morning, Chinese state media said.

Near the megacity of Fuzhou, a fire truck with eight people on board plunged into a river, Chinese state television reported on Tuesday. Three people were rescued, but authorities said five were still missing. Rescue work was continuing, Chinese state television said.

The southern Chinese provinces of Fujian and Guangdong were affected by Haikui, the eleventh named storm this year, German news agency (dpa) quoted state news agency Xinhua's report citing local authorities.

Schools and kindergartens remained closed in some areas on Tuesday as a precaution. Meteorologists in Guangdong expected the typhoon to move further west over land and weaken, according to Xinhua.

Before hitting mainland China, Haikui passed over Taiwan. More than 100 people were injured, Taiwan's Emergency Operations Centre said on Monday. About 260,000 households had no electricity.

When the storm passed over Taiwan on Sunday and Monday, around 8,000 residents were forced to leave their homes and 2,000 were placed in public shelters to shelter from strong winds and heavy rainfall. -BERNAMA-DPA