Typhoon Dujuan batters Taiwan, disrupting trains and flights, cancelling Bon Jovi concert

TAIPEI - Rain and wind lashed Taiwan on Monday (Sept 28) as an approaching typhoon disrupted trains and flights for travellers heading home from a long holiday weekend and rock band Bon Jovi had to cancel a concert in the island's capital of Taipei.

By mid-afternoon, the island's trains had stopped services, hundreds of domestic and international flights were delayed or cancelled and hundreds of thousands of households were without power.

Typhoon Dujuan was spinning over the Pacific Ocean towards Taiwan and due to make landfall in the island's north-east late in the day.

Television footage showed fast-moving muddy brown flood waters swamping roads just outside Taipei and huge waves crashing against the island's northeast coast.

According to Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau, maximum wind speed near the centre of the typhoon and gusts were clocked near the highest speed categories of between 200kmh to 219kmh.

The Tropical Storm Risk website estimated Dujuan, currently a Category 4 typhoon, just shy of what it measures as a super typhoon, would lose strength on Tuesday.

Offices and financial markets in Taiwan were shut on Monday, the last day of a three-day Mid-Autumn Festival holiday.

In early August, super typhoon Soudelor killed eight people in Taiwan and cut power to more than four million households, a record for the island.