Driver recounts narrow escape from Kong-rey storm

Song Zi-jie had just dropped off a passenger in Taipei and was stopped at a red light on the night of October 31 when a large tree suddenly uprooted and crashed into the passenger compartment of his car. Feeling the roof hit his head, he tried to recline his seat but could not open the back door. He lay there helpless until he was discovered by the police.

"I was so scared I didn't know what to do. It took me a while to get back to normal," Song said. He was not injured but the car was badly damaged.

Typhoon Kong-rey swept across Taiwan, killing two people and injuring more than 500. Kong-rey weakened to a tropical storm after leaving the island but still brought heavy rain and wind to Shanghai and nearby areas on China's east coast.

Kong-rey is heading northeast along the Chinese coast with winds of 83 kilometers per hour and could make landfall in Zhejiang province before turning out to sea, the National Meteorological Center said. Zhejiang and neighboring Fujian province have suspended many ferry routes ahead of the storm.

Workers cut and cleared fallen trees in Taipei on November 1, while schools and offices largely reopened and public services were mostly restored.

The storm passed through the northern Philippines earlier this week, forcing a fresh evacuation just days after Tropical Storm Tra Mi devastated the country, killing at least 145 people.

Ngoc Anh (according to AP)