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.

Typhoon Podul weakened to a severe tropical storm when it roared ashore in southeastern China, state media said, after carving a path across Taiwan, shutting down businesses, grounding flights and knocking out power to thousands of homes.

Tropical storm Podul on Thursday (Aug 14) dumped torrential rain on southern China, still reeling from record downpours last week, and disrupted hospitals, schools and courts in Hong Kong after tearing through Taiwan and leaving 143 people injured.