Typhoon Podul pounded Taiwan on Wednesday, shutting down businesses, grounding flights and knocking out power for tens of thousands of households, while parts of mainland China made ready for the storm.

Typhoon Podul hit Taiwan's sparsely populated southeast coast on Wednesday packing winds of up to 191 kph (118 mph), as a large swathe of southern and eastern parts of the island shut down and hundreds of flights were cancelled.

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