Tropical storm 'Bilis' pounded north-eastern Taiwan Thursday, forcing schools and offices to close and disrupting air and rail traffic after leaving nine dead and two missing in the Philippines.
As strong winds and torrential rains lashed Ilan county, officials urged residents to evacuate low-lying and mountainous areas fearing flash floods and landslides. Bilis was 140 kilometers (8.4 miles) south-east of Ilan at 0800 GMT Thursday, the Central Weather Bureau said.
With a radius of 300 kilometers, Bilis - a Filipino word meaning "speed" - was moving north-north-west at 17 kilometers per hour, packing winds of up to 90 kilometers per hour at its centre, it said.
The severe conditions raised memories of August 2004, when Typhoon Aere claimed 24 lives with mudslides burying an entire village in Hsinchu county. Offices and schools in four central and eastern counties were closed and a military drill scheduled for Friday was called off.
Domestic airlines cancelled flights to a number of cities, including easterly Hualien, due to downpours and powerful winds. International flights were not affected.
Eleven Vietnamese nationals were rescued Wednesday from a fishing boat which ran aground near Green Island off the eastern coast, according to the National Fire Agency which co-ordinated rescue efforts.
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