A man was swept away while fishing and dozens of other people were injured as strong winds and rain battered the island.

Typhoon Podul crossed southern Taiwan, where authorities closed schools and government offices as heavy rain threatened more damage to agriculture in the island's southeast. No major damage was reported.

TAIPEI (Reuters) -Typhoon Podul blew through southern Taiwan on Wednesday packing winds of up to 191 kph (118 mph) and leaving one person missing, as a large swathe of the island shut down and hundreds of flights were cancelled.