The mid-strength Typhoon Podul, packing wind gusts as strong as 191 kph (118 mph), was heading for the southeastern city of Taitung as it intensifies and was expected to make landfall nearby on Wednesday afternoon, weather officials said.

Thousands of people sheltered and fishermen secured their boats across storm-battered southern Taiwan on Wednesday as Typhoon Podul intensified on its approach to the island. The typhoon is packing wind speeds of 155 kilometers (96 miles) per hour at its centre and “is strengthening”,