Taiwan Feels Storm’s Fury; 3 Are Killed

Typhoon Bilis roared across Taiwan today, killing three people, bowling over power lines and trees, and forcing thousands from their homes.

The powerful winds ripped off electrical wires that killed a woman outside Taipei, the capital, and a construction worker was killed when a retaining wall collapsed in the suburbs, the government said. Another man was killed after being hit by a door knocked down by wind.

Rescuers equipped with cranes and tractors were scrambling to dig out nine farmers buried by a landslide in the central village of Jenai, Interior Minister Chang Poh-ya said.

“We are not optimistic about the situation,” Chang said about the farmers, who had been trapped for more than seven hours.

Bilis was an especially powerful storm, but there were differing reports of its strength. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, said it had sustained winds as high as 161 mph. The Taiwan Central Weather Bureau measured the winds at 118 mph.

During the height of the storm, local and international carriers canceled 76 flights to southern Taiwan and abroad. In southern Taiwan, Kaohsiung Harbor--one of the world’s busiest ports--remained closed today.

Government offices, banks and the stock market were also closed.