Taiwan evacuates 2,000 tourists as super-typhoon Soulik nears

Agence France-Presse | Updated: July 11, 2013 13:41 IST

Taipei: Taiwan evacuated more than 2,000 tourists today as the island braced for super-typhoon Soulik with authorities warning of fierce winds and torrential rains.

The typhoon, packing gusts of up to 227 kilometres per hour, was 960 kilometres east of the island's southernmost tip as of 0830 IST, Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau said.

Soulik is moving west-northwest towards Taiwan at about 22 kilometres per hour and could narrowly skip or make landfall in the north of the island sometime between late tomorrow and Saturday morning, the bureau said.

"The public must heighten their vigilance as the typhoon will certainly bring strong winds and heavy rains," a weather forecaster told AFP.

Authorities today evacuated 2,300 tourists from Green Island, off the southeastern city of Taitung, and issued a warning to ships sailing north and east off Taiwan to take special precaution.

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