By Xinhua
Beijing : Five people were dead, one was missing and another seriously injured as typhoon Sepat left a trail of destruction in Taiwan over the weekend, Taiwan media reported Monday.
In Hsinchu, two men died after being blown off their bicycles by the strong wind.
Torrential rains in Chiayi and Hualien caused three car accidents, which claimed three lives and seriously injured one person, media reports said, adding that one person was missing after a torrent swept down a mountainside.
Sepat also caused heavy losses to Taiwan’s agricultural sector.
The total value of agricultural products affected by Sepat by Sunday had reached 830 million New Taiwan Dollars ($25 million), triggering market worries of increasing prices of farm produce.
The storm left about 940 tonnes of rubbish in Taipei’s streets, seven times more than usual, said the city’s environment protection authority.
Sepat hit Taiwan at 5.40 a.m. local time Friday near the eastern city of Hualien. It was the most powerful storm to strike Taiwan this year and the third in two weeks.