Taiwan braces for second typhoon in less than a week

TAIPEI, Taiwan, Sept. 16 (UPI) -- Typhoon Meranti left at least 11 people dead and millions of dollars of damage in its wake in Taiwan and China as the region braces for a second storm in less than a week.

Local government on Friday said seven people were killed and nine were missing in eastern China's Fujian province, Xinhua reported. Three others were killed in the Zhejiang province. One person died in Taiwan.

Typhoon Meranti, which made landfall in Xiamen at about 3 a.m. on Thursday, caused about $250 million in damages -- destroying 1,600 homes and damaging nearly 55,000 acres of crops. At its strongest, Meranti packed sustained winds speeds of over 180 mph.

Meanwhile, Typhoon Malakas is less than 600 miles southeast of Taipei and is forecast to gain strength before nearing Taiwan on Saturday. Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau said Malakas has maximum sustained winds of 96 mph and wind gusts of 118 mph.

Projections forecast Malakas will be within 100 to 150 miles of Taiwan's northeast corner by 3 p.m. local time Saturday, when it is predicted to pack sustained winds of 125 mph. Malakas is expected to weaken to a tropical storm-equivalent system before nearing Japan's islands.