Taiwan Hit by Powerful Typhoon Kong-rey, One Dead
TAIPEI, Taiwan — A powerful typhoon struck Taiwan on Thursday, causing one fatality and bringing strong winds and flooding to a significant portion of the island’s east coast and northern areas, following its passage through the northern Philippines.
Air and train services in Taiwan were suspended, and 8,600 individuals sought refuge in shelters.
Typhoon Kong-rey was moving across the eastern county of Taitung with wind speeds of 184 kilometers (114 miles) per hour and gusts reaching 227 kph (141 mph). Parts of Yilan and Hualien counties experienced heavy rainfall and flooding, but many farmers in these predominantly rural areas had already secured their crops, anticipating potential storm damage.
Taiwanese authorities reported one death and 73 injuries attributed to the storm as of Thursday afternoon. The fatality occurred after a tree fell on a vehicle. Officials are currently attempting to locate a pair of Czech tourists who were hiking in Hualien’s Tarako National Park, renowned for its steep cliffs and mountain trails. Other travelers were advised to remain in their current locations.
The capital city, Taipei, faced substantial disruption due to high winds and heavy rains. Offices and schools throughout the island were closed. Off the north coast, a tugboat was deployed to tow away a Chinese-registered freighter that had run aground and been abandoned by its crew amidst rough seas.
Earlier on Thursday, the eye of the typhoon passed approximately 110 kilometers (68 miles) east of the northernmost Philippine province of Batanes, a group of islands and islets with a population of around 19,000. Residents of northern Philippine provinces evacuated to shelters on Wednesday.
The Philippines weather agency had warned of the storm’s potential to damage roofs, shatter windows, and cause extensive damage to farmland, but there were no immediate reports of casualties.
“It’s so, so powerful and we haven’t seen the extent of the damage yet because the wind outside is still so strong,” Batanes Governor Marilou Cayco told The Associated Press by cellphone before the line was cut off.
Kong-rey, the 12th weather disturbance to affect the Philippine archipelago this year, struck the Southeast Asian nation while it was still recovering from a storm last week that resulted in 179 deaths and missing persons. Hundreds of thousands of people remain in emergency shelters due to Tropical Storm Trami.
China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory and regularly dispatches planes and warships around the island, largely suspended its patrols. Only eight planes were detected around the island between Wednesday and Thursday, according to Taiwan’s Defense Ministry.