1 dead after major typhoon sweeps through Taiwan

One person is dead in Taiwan after a typhoon roiled the island and parts of southeastern China, in what Chinese and Taiwanese weather authorities labeled the strongest storm so far this year.

Taiwan's Central News Agency said on Thursday that 44 people were also injured as a result of Typhoon Meranti. The agency said the typhoon knocked out power in almost 1 million homes and water in more than 700,000.

Chinese authorities reported no deaths due to the storm, which hit southern Fujian province early today. The official Xinhua News Agency said the storm shattered windows on tall buildings and disrupted water lines.

China's national meteorological center downgraded Meranti to a tropical storm Thursday afternoon and said it expected the storm to fade as it moves north.