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

Typhoon Podul pounded Taiwan on Wednesday, shutting down businesses in the south, grounding flights and knocking out power for thousands of households, while parts of China made preparations for the storm to make landfall.

Typhoon Podul slammed into southeastern Taiwan on Wednesday, with powerful winds and heavy rain lashing the island. Podul is expected to sweep across the island and into the Taiwan Strait later Wednesday,