A man was swept away while fishing and dozens of other people were injured as strong winds and rain battered the island.

Typhoon Podul crossed southern Taiwan, where authorities closed schools and government offices as heavy rain threatened more damage to agriculture in the island's southeast. No major damage was reported.

Typhoon Podul weakened to a severe tropical storm when it roared ashore in southeastern China, state media said, after carving a path across Taiwan, shutting down businesses, grounding flights and knocking out power to thousands of homes.