Flights and train service have also been suspended and 8,600 people moved to shelters

Typhoon Kong-rey was blowing at 184 km (114 miles) per hour with gusts of up to 227 km (141 miles) per hour as it moved over the eastern county of Taitung

Parts of Yilan and Hualien Counties were inundated by heavy rain, but many farmers in the largely rural areas had already brought in their crops in anticipation of damage from the storm

No deaths or major property damage have been reported from Kong-rey so far in Taiwan

Super Typhoon Kong-rey made landfall in Taiwan on October 31, the state weather forecaster said, as one of the most powerful storms to hit the island in years unleashed fierce winds and torrential rain

The storm prompted villagers in northern Philippine provinces to evacuate to shelters on Wednesday

Taiwan's capital Taipei was largely shut down as it was hit by high winds and heavy rains. Off the north coast, a tugboat was dispatched to tow away a Chinese-registered freighter that floundered and had been abandoned by its crew amid heavy seas