8 injured due to Typhoon Maria (update)

Taipei, July 11 (CNA) Eight people were injured as Typhoon Maria passed over northern Taiwan late Tuesday and early Wednesday, according to the latest information on the storm issued by the Central Emergency Operation Center.

The center quoted Ministry of the Interior data as reporting that seven males and one female, most of them in Taipei, suffered minor injuries after falling off their motorbikes or bicycles, or from falling branches.

The statistics also showed that a total of 59,485 households around Taiwan lost power because of the storm, and 3,435 households were still without electricity as of 2 p.m. Wednesday.

The Ministry of Economic Affairs cited Taiwan Power Company as assuring that power supplies will return to normal by late Wednesday.

A total of 3,438 people left their homes before the storm as a precautionary measure and 1,001 people were still in shelters, the center's figures showed.

Although the typhoon has left Taiwan, the center said rough waves are still expected along Taiwan's northern coast into Wednesday afternoon, and it urged people not to engage in seaside activities.

The Central Weather Bureau issued a heavy rain alert for offshore Matsu, the eastern counties of Yilan and Hualien, and northern Taiwan coastal areas in New Taipei and Keelung.

The Council of Agriculture gave an initial estimate of farm produce damage at NT$1.3 million (US$32,763), mainly in New Taipei, Taoyuan and Hsinchu County.

As of 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, the COA retained 104 yellow landslide warnings across Taiwan, warning local governments to keep watching potentially dangerous areas and alerting the public.

According to the Central Weather Bureau, the typhoon made landfall in Fujian Province in China at 9 a.m. Wednesday. It lifted both sea and land warnings for Taiwan proper at 2:30 p.m.