Typhoon Haikui batters Taiwan

Typhoon Haikui made landfall on eastern Taiwan yesterday, unleashing torrential downpours, whipping winds and plunging thousands of households into darkness as the first major storm to directly hit the island in four years.

Nearly 4,000 people were evacuated from high-risk areas, hundreds of flights cancelled and businesses closed in preparation for storm.

Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau said the typhoon was "at our doorstep".