Chaotic sight: A wooden archway is damaged due to strong winds from Typhoon Krathon in Kaohsiung, which made landfall in Taiwan’s south, the island’s weather agency said, after unleashing strong gusts and rains. — AFP
Typhoon Krathon has made landfall in the south, the island’s weather agency said, after forcing schools and offices to shut for a second day amid winds and rain that have left two dead and more than 100 injured.
Krathon was packing sustained wind speeds of 126kph and gusts of up to 162kph just before reaching the southern seaport city of Kaohsiung, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA).
“Typhoon Krathon made landfall near Kaohsiung’s Xiaogang district at around 12.40pm,” it said in a post on messaging app Line.
While CWA chief Cheng Chia-ping said on Wednesday that the typhoon was expected to weaken rapidly after landing, residents of Kaohsiung were urged to take shelter.
“There will be winds of destructive force caused by typhoon in this area. Take shelter ASAP,” the CWA said in a warning sent five times to residents’ mobile phones yesterday.
Kaohsiung’s mayor, Chen Chi-mai, told reporters that the city was experiencing “the strongest winds” ahead of the typhoon’s landfall.
“We urge residents not to go out unless necessary,” he said.
“So far, Kaohsiung has recorded 356 disaster cases, mostly falling trees and advertising signs.”
Torrential rain and powerful winds unleashed on the island have already left at least two people dead, two missing and 123 injured, said the National Fire Agency.
A 70-year-old man was rushed to hospital on Tuesday after he fell while trimming trees in eastern Hualien county and died in hospital the next day.
And a 66-year-old man, hospitalised in nearby Taitung on Monday after his truck hit a huge rock that had fallen onto the road, also died on Wednesday.
Krathon has disrupted traffic, causing all domestic flights to be suspended for a second day and the cancellation of around 240 international flights.
Across Taiwan, nearly 10,000 people had been evacuated as of yesterday, according to the interior ministry.
Krathon has caused mudslides and flooding, and damaged houses and roads in some areas as it slowly moves towards Taiwan, officials and reports said. — AFP
