Typhoon Soudelor kills at least 21 in China and Taiwan

By Ashley Fantz, CNN
2 minute read
Updated 12:17 AM EDT, Mon August 10, 2015
A man wades through a flooded street in Ningde, China, on Sunday, August 9. Soudelor made landfall Saturday night in the city of Putian, in China's southern Fujian province. More than 185,000 people moved to higher ground, Xinhua reported. The typhoon weakened as it moved inland toward the northwest.
A man wades through a flooded street in Ningde, China, on Sunday, August 9. Soudelor made landfall Saturday night in the city of Putian, in China's southern Fujian province. More than 185,000 people moved to higher ground, Xinhua reported. The typhoon weakened as it moved inland toward the northwest.
Stringer/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
Rescuers stand by a flooded area in Ningde, China, on August 9.
Rescuers stand by a flooded area in Ningde, China, on August 9.
Stringer/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
Tree branches and other debris lie under a bridge in Taipei, Taiwan, as a result of floods caused by Typhoon Soudelor. The storm brought widespread destruction to Taiwan after making landfall there in the early hours of Saturday.
Tree branches and other debris lie under a bridge in Taipei, Taiwan, as a result of floods caused by Typhoon Soudelor. The storm brought widespread destruction to Taiwan after making landfall there in the early hours of Saturday.
Craig Ferguson/LightRocket/Getty Images
Piles of debris left by Typhoon Soudelor's heavy rain and flooding lie under the Zhongzheng Bridge as it crosses the Xindian River in Taipei.
Piles of debris left by Typhoon Soudelor's heavy rain and flooding lie under the Zhongzheng Bridge as it crosses the Xindian River in Taipei.
Craig Ferguson/LightRocket/Getty Images
Water and mud flow around residential buildings in Xinbei City, Taiwan, on Saturday, August 8.
Water and mud flow around residential buildings in Xinbei City, Taiwan, on Saturday, August 8.
Xinhua/ZUMA
Residents gather to see huge waves stirred up by Typhoon Soudelor in Wenling, China, as the storm draws near the mainland on August 8.
Residents gather to see huge waves stirred up by Typhoon Soudelor in Wenling, China, as the storm draws near the mainland on August 8.
STR/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
Trees torn down by strong wind are seen on the road in Jinjiang, China, on August 8.
Trees torn down by strong wind are seen on the road in Jinjiang, China, on August 8.
STR/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
A young boy finds a mother cat nursing two kittens as he searches through the storm-damaged remains of his home on August 8 in Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands.
A young boy finds a mother cat nursing two kittens as he searches through the storm-damaged remains of his home on August 8 in Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands.
Daniel Lin/AP
Emergency rescue personnel dig a man from a mudslide caused by Typhoon Soudelor in Xindian, New Taipei City, Taiwan, on Saturday, August 8.
Emergency rescue personnel dig a man from a mudslide caused by Typhoon Soudelor in Xindian, New Taipei City, Taiwan, on Saturday, August 8.
New Taipei Fire Department/AP
Emergency rescue personnel carry children past cars crushed by a mudslide in New Taipei City on August 8.
Emergency rescue personnel carry children past cars crushed by a mudslide in New Taipei City on August 8.
New Taipei Fire Department/AP
Metal sheeting lies on a Taipei road after the arrival of Typhoon Soudelor early on August 8.
Metal sheeting lies on a Taipei road after the arrival of Typhoon Soudelor early on August 8.
SAM YEH/AFP/Getty Images
A basket stadium is flooded by the Jingmei River on August 8. More than 3 feet of rain fell in parts of Taiwan Saturday, CNN Meteorologist Ivan Cabrera said.
A basket stadium is flooded by the Jingmei River on August 8. More than 3 feet of rain fell in parts of Taiwan Saturday, CNN Meteorologist Ivan Cabrera said.
Sam YehSAM YEH/AFP/Getty Images
A man rides past blown-down motorcycles as Typhoon Soudelor hits Taipei on August 8.
A man rides past blown-down motorcycles as Typhoon Soudelor hits Taipei on August 8.
SAM YEH/AFP/Getty Images
A fisherman walks on a pier in Ningde, China, on Friday, August 7.
A fisherman walks on a pier in Ningde, China, on Friday, August 7.
LIU TAO/FEATURECHINA/EPA/LANDOV
NASA's Aqua satellite captured this image of Typhoon Soudelor on August 7 as it approached Taiwan.
NASA's Aqua satellite captured this image of Typhoon Soudelor on August 7 as it approached Taiwan.
NASA Goddard's MODIS Rapid Response Team
Two women battle the winds from the approaching typhoon in Taipei, Taiwan, on August 7.
Two women battle the winds from the approaching typhoon in Taipei, Taiwan, on August 7.
Wally Santana/AP
Taiwanese coast guard personnel block off coastal walkways in Keelung, Taiwan, on August 7.
Taiwanese coast guard personnel block off coastal walkways in Keelung, Taiwan, on August 7.
Wally Santana/AP
Surfers remove surf boards from a beach in Yilan County, Taiwan, Thursday, August 6.
Surfers remove surf boards from a beach in Yilan County, Taiwan, Thursday, August 6.
Wally Santana/AP
Fishing boats are secured in a port in Yilan County, Taiwan, on August 6.
Fishing boats are secured in a port in Yilan County, Taiwan, on August 6.
Wally Santana/AP
The crew of the international space station spotted Typhoon Soudeloron on August 5 as the storm moved through the western Pacific.
The crew of the international space station spotted Typhoon Soudeloron on August 5 as the storm moved through the western Pacific.
NASA
Typhoon Soudelor

Story highlights

At least 14 dead in mainland China and seven more killed in Taiwan

Typhoon Soudelor made landfall Saturday causing heavy flooding and mudslides

Nearly 200,000 people have been evacuated from the region

CNN  — 

At least 21 are dead after Typhoon Soudelor slammed into southeastern mainland China and Taiwan, official agencies said.

The storm left 14 people dead in the eastern Chinese cities of Wenzhou and Lishui, where heavy rains triggered mudslides and caused houses to collapse, state news agency Xinhua reported. Across the strait in Taiwan, seven others have been confirmed dead.

The storm reached super typhoon status over the ocean, recording peak winds of 180 miles per hour but weakened to a tropical storm before it made landfall. The West Pacific Basin has seen 10 typhoons so far this year.

CNN iReporter documents conditions, damage in Kaohsiung

typhoon sweeps car taiwan cnntoday_00004310.jpg
typhoon sweeps car taiwan cnntoday_00004310.jpg
video

Related video Watch Typhoon Soudelor blow this car away

Soudelor reached China’s southern Fujian province on Saturday night in the city of Putian. More than 185,000 people had been moved to higher ground, Xinhua said.

Earlier on Saturday, it hit Taiwan, north of the city of Hualien where it killed seven. Five remain missing and 402 have been injured, Taiwan’s National Fire Agency said on Sunday.

Those killed in Taiwan included a mother and her 8-year-old daughter swept out to sea, Central News Agency reported, adding that the girl’s twin sister is missing.

At least 11,800 people had been evacuated from 17 counties and cities in Taiwan since Thursday. Authorities deployed more than 35,000 military personnel to relocate residents in vulnerable areas as the typhoon made its way across the Pacific Ocean.

One city in northern Taiwan saw a wind gust measured at 210 kilometers per hour (130 miles per hour) while meteorologists said that the Taipingshan region in the northeast received 40 inches of rain in two days.

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Storm chaser James Reynolds spoke to CNN Saturday from southeastern Taiwan and said that ferocious winds and blinding rain hit as the storm reached land. Huge waves battered the coastline, causing “a lot of flying debris, a lot of tree damage and along the coastal areas, the waves had inundated the low-lying areas, damaging the roads in places as well as some vulnerable properties which were right by the coast,” he said.

Video footage showed rescue workers struggling to make their way through surging, thigh-high waters. Many communities suffered mudslides and flooding.

CNN iReporter in U.S. commonwealth witnesses widespread destruction

CNN’s K.J. Kwonm, Faith Karimi, Laura Smith-Spark, Steve Almasy, Kevin Wang, Sean Morris, Taylor Ward, Brandon Miller, Kevin Wang and journalist Wayne Chang contributed to this report.