Typhoon Meranti has landed in China after battering Taiwan with its strongest storm in 21 years.

The super typhoon, with gusts of up to 227km/h (141 mph), killed one person and left half a million homes without power in Taiwan, reports the BBC.

It made landfall near China's south-eastern city of Xiamen on Thursday morning, having lost some power.

Dozens of flights and train services in southern China have been cancelled and tens of thousands of people evacuated.

Weather forecaster Hsieh Pei-yun said: “It is the strongest typhoon to hit Taiwan in 21 years in terms of maximum sustained wind near the centre”.

The typhoon has made landfall at the start of a three-day holiday in China for the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Residents were told to stay indoors and ships ordered to head back to harbour, while people in Pingtung were told to leave their homes.

BDST: 1048 HRS, SEP 15, 2016
SR