Two dead, over 630 injured as Typhoon Danas lashes Taiwan

Typhoon Danas lashed southern Taiwan with record winds and strong rain early on Monday, killing two people and injuring more than 630 in a rare hit to the island's densely populated west coast.

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Thousands of tourists were stranded on Taiwan's outlying islands of Penghu, Matsu and Green due to the cancellations of ferry services and flights.

Two deaths were reported in the southwestern city of Tainan, according to the National Fire Agency. One person died when their vehicle was struck by a falling tree, while another died after his respirator malfunctioned due to losing power.

Taiwan is regularly struck by typhoons but they generally land along the mountainous and sparsely populated east coast facing the Pacific.

Power to more than 710,000 homes was cut and over 300 domestic and international flights were cancelled, government data showed.

The north-south high-speed rail line scaled back services.

Business and schools were shut along the west coast with the storm reaching winds of around 220 kilometres per hour as it tore through the southwestern county of Yunlin after making landfall along Taiwan's southwestern shores late on Sunday.

Over 700 trees were felled across western cities and towns and road signs were ripped off and strewn across the streets, government data showed.