Taiwan battens down as second typhoon threatens region

Fishermen in raincoats walk past fishing boats as Typhoon Matmo approaches the northeastern coastal town of Nanfangao in Ilan county, northern Taiwan, July 22, 2014. REUTERS/Pichi Chuang

TAIPEI/MANILA (Reuters) - The Taiwan military was collecting and distributing sandbags to guard against possible flooding on Tuesday as a typhoon bore down on the island after brushing the Philippines.

Typhoon Matmo, a category-two cyclone on Tropical Storm Risk's scale of one to five, was approaching from the southeast and was expected to strengthen until it hits on Tuesday night and moves on to China.