(Adds Philippines deaths, updates throughout) TAIPEI, Aug 7 (Reuters) - A medium-strength typhoon, the most severe this year so far, slowly enveloped Taiwan on Friday, forcing flight cancellations and port closures after killing 11 people in the Philippines. Typhoon Morakot churned slowly toward Taiwan with winds gusts up to 180 kph (112 mph) on its way to China and after triggering flash floods in the Philippines, disaster officials said. Three French tourists and two guides on a trek to Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines drowned on Thursday when their car was swept away by a swollen river. Six other people were killed in flash floods and landslides in the main island of Luzon. Morakot, listed as a category 2 storm on a 1-5 scale by the Tropical Storm Risk forecasting service, had left four people missing in Taiwan, caused 14 injuries and cut power to about 52,000 users while grounding scores of domestic and international flights. Taiwan's major seaports, Kaohsiung and Keelung, closed late on Thursday due to high winds, harbour officials said. The coast guard had also rescued 10 people from three ships that ran ashore near Taiwan's southern tip. Taipei's stock <.TWII> and forex <TWD=TP> markets were closed on Friday. Morakot's outermost layer reached the island during the night, with sustained winds of up to 144 kph (89 mph) and heavy rains, the weather bureau and disaster authorities said. More than 700 mm (28 inches) of rain had already fallen in some areas. But the slow-moving storm was still offshore as of 1115 GMT, centered 60 km (37 miles) southeast of Taiwan, the weather bureau said, with more havoc expected on Saturday. "The weather keeps changing, and the rainfall should increase tomorrow, which could be the most severe day if the winds continue," said Lee Ching-an, a team leader at the government's disaster response centre. Local television showed images of minor building damage and mountains communities stranded by severed roads. Morakot will move on to China by Sunday after weakening to a tropical storm, Tropical Storm Risk said on its website (www.tropicalstormrisk.com). Typhoons regularly hit China, Taiwan, the Philippines and Japan in the second half of the year, gathering strength from the warm waters of the Pacific Ocean or South China Sea before weakening over land. (Reporting by Ralph Jennings in Taipei and Manny Mogato in Manila; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)
Rescuers carry equipment as they cross a flooded street in this handout photo released by the Philippine Coast Guard in Zambales province, northern Philippines August 7, 2009. The town of Botolan ...
