A powerful typhoon accompanied by strong wind and heavy rain pounded Taiwan and islands in the southern Japanese archipelago Saturday, authorities said. 
Typhoon Malakas dumped rainfall of up to 55 millimetres per hour on Japan's Iriomote Island while producing waves of up to 11 metres in the region, the country's meteorological agency said. 
More than 550 households lost electricity on Yonaguni Island as wind speeds of up to 66.8 metres per second were recorded there in the morning, Okinawa's Ryukyu Shimpo newspaper reported. 
As of 1 pm (0400 GMT), the eye of the storm was 50 kilometres north-west of Yonaguni Island, travelling north at 20 kilometres per hour (km/h), with maximum sustained winds of 180 km/h and gusts of 252 km/h, the agency said. 
In Taiwan, the Central Weather Bureau said the country's north and north-east were expected to see strong wind and torrential rain later in the day. 
The season's 16th typhoon was moving slower than previously predicted, delaying its worst effects upon Taiwan, the Taiwanese the Central News Agency said.

Source : QNA