Typhoon Morakot kills 10 in Philippines

The fringes of Typhoon Morakot killed 10 people and injured 18 others in the Philippines, a spokeswoman for the National Disaster Coordinating Council told CNN.

Residents walk along a flooded highway to safety in Zambales province, Philippines, on Friday.

Three French tourists died when their vehicle was swept into the water; two local tourist guides also died when they tried to rescue them, she said.

Heavy rain triggered at least 10 landslides, one of which destroyed a school, the spokeswoman said, adding that 23 structures were destroyed and six were damaged.

The Philippines was expected to clear up late Saturday morning, said CNN Meteorologist Kevin Corriveau.

In Taiwan, two people died and people were missing, according to local media.

The storm was dropping massive amounts of rain in Taiwan as well, despite being downgraded to tropical storm strength by Saturday morning, Corriveau said.

Some places in central and southern parts of the island saw nearly 1.3 meters (51 inches) of rain, and another meter (39 inches) were expected, he added.

Journalist Andrew Lee in Taipei, citing local media, said the storm had blown off roofs and washed out some bridges.

The storm made landfall carrying winds of up to 92 mph (148 kph), with gusts up to 115 mph (185 kph), the Joint Typhoon Warning Center said.

The area has been severely affected by drought in recent months, leaving the ground so hard that it does not absorb the rainfall, Corriveau said.

Taiwan's Central News Agency, acknowledging the drought, cited the Water Resources Agency as saying the storm had replenished the island's reservoirs and would put an end to water rationing in several areas.

The storm prompted airlines to cancel flights. Schools and government offices were closed ahead of Morakot's arrival, according to Taiwan's Central News Agency.

Trading at the Taiwan Stock Exchange was also postponed until Monday, the news agency reported.

In China, state-run Xinhua News Agency reported that governments in coastal provinces were readying themselves for the storm and had ordered fishing boats to seek shelter before Thursday night.

In Fujian province, about 8.4 million text messages had been sent to citizens warning them to prepare for the typhoon, Xinhua reported.

More than 900 people, including Chinese and foreign tourists, have been evacuated from the resort of Nanji Island off east China, the news agency reported.