The first typhoon to directly hit Taiwan in four years, Haikui made landfall yesterday in the island’s mountainous and sparsely populated far southeast, before moving across the south.

It knocked out power to almost 260,000 households, the economy ministry said, adding that it aims to restore electricity to the last 26,000 homes by 11pm local time today.

Classes were cancelled and workers given the day off across southern, eastern, and central regions, while Taipei, the capital, received sporadic gusty rain showers.

The world’s largest contract chipmaker, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSMC), said its plants in Taiwan were operating normally and had not been affected by the storm.

Fire officials reported 116 injuries from the typhoon but were still trying to ascertain if the death of a man found by a roadside in Taitung was linked to it.

Taiwan Airlines cancelled 208 domestic flights, leaving just a handful scheduled, while ferry services to surrounding islands were suspended.

International flights, with just 23 cancelled, suffered less disruption, the Civil Aeronautics Administration said.

Haikui is much weaker than Typhoon Saola, which hit Hong Kong and the southern Chinese province of Guangdong on Saturday.

By today, Haikui had started to enter the Taiwan Strait, and was heading for China, Taiwan’s weather authorities said, though it will continue to bring heavy rain across the island into the middle of the week.

China’s national weather and ocean forecasters have warned of strong winds and large waves around the coastal provinces of Fujian and Guangdong, and urged ships to take precautions, Chinese state media said.