Beijing, China

Typhoon Meranti landed in southeastern China in the early hours near Xiamen today, after battering Taiwan with strong winds and lashing rains. 

One person died and 38 were injured in Taiwan, the Central Emergency Operation Centre said, as the typhoon hit the southern part of the island on Wednesday. No casualties have been reported from Xiamen yet. 

The state media, that dubbed the typhoon as the strongest storm globally, flashed images of flooded streets, fallen trees, crushed cars and of rescuers evacuating people using boats. 

Power supplies were cut off and large parts of Xiamen suffered water supply disruptions, state news agency Xinhua said. 

Dozens of flight and train services were cancelled, the state television said, disrupting travel at the start of the three-day mid-autumn Festival holiday. 

Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated.

Meranti is classified as category 5 typhoon, the strongest classification made by the Tropical Storm Risk storm tracker. 

(WION with inputs from agencies)