Kaemi, the fifth typhoon this year, is churning across north Taiwan Strait and barreling northwest towards southern Chinese mainland after raking Taiwan with heavy rains and strong winds.

Taiwan-based media reported Kaemi, meaning "ant" in Korean, made landfall at 11: 45 p.m. on Monday at Taitung and left the island at 4:05 a.m. on Tuesday at Dongshih Township of Chiayi County.

The Taiwan weather bureau said the central point of Kaemi was at about 40 kilometers southeast of Penghu at 5:30 Tuesday morning. With a storm radius of around 200 kilometers, the typhoon is moving at a speed of 17 kph.

Kaohsiung, Pingtung and Taitung had all experienced more than 200 mm of accumulative rainfall from zero hour to 5: 30 a.m. and the rain is continuing.

Kaemi caused power cut in more than 10,000 households in Taitung and 4,659 households in Fulih Township of Hualian County.

(Xinhua News Agency July 25, 2006)