A man was swept away while fishing and dozens of other people were injured as strong winds and rain battered the island.

Typhoon Podul pounded Taiwan on Wednesday, shutting down businesses in the south, grounding flights and knocking out power for thousands of households, while parts of China made preparations for the storm to make landfall.

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.