Typhoon Morakot had killed at least 67 people and left 61 missing in Taiwan at 12:00 noon, the island's authorities said Wednesday.

Another 45 people were injured after the worst typhoon to hit the region in nearly five decades swept across the island, causing havoc across central and southern regions.

The toll included three rescuers on board a helicopter that crashed Tuesday during a disaster-relief mission in southern Pingdong. Their bodies were found on Wednesday morning.

Strong winds also cut electricity supply to more than 1.59 million households, but it has now been restored to nearly 1.56 million of them, according to local power companies.

More than 20,000 houses were still without electricity Wednesday, mainly in the cities of Pingdong, Kaohsiung, Taitung, Chiayi and Tainan.

Typhoon Morakot has caused more than 8.8 billion New Taiwan Dollars (about 267 million U.S. dollars) in agricultural damage, say local agricultural authorities.

Hundreds of roads and bridges on the island have been destroyed by floods, and disaster-relief centers have dispatched helicopters to transport villagers and air-drop goods in those regions.

On Wednesday, there were still 27 bridges and 69 main roads blocked or impassable.

In parts of central-south Taiwan where water has started to retreat, people are returning to repair homes and infrastructure, local media reported.

People from a wide range of social sectors including government, enterprises, entertainment and TV stations have donated cash and goods worth millions of New Taiwan Dollars to support disaster-relief work.

Source: Xinhua