Damaged cars are seen underneath fallen trees in Keelung after Typhoon Kong-rey made landfall in eastern Taiwan. - PHOTO: AFP
TAIPEI (AFP): Workers cleared fallen trees and shop owners swept up debris in Taiwan on Friday after one of the biggest typhoons to hit the island in decades claimed at least two lives.
Typhoon Kong-rey was packing wind speeds of 184 kilometres an hour (114 miles per hour) when it slammed into eastern Taiwan on Thursday, toppling trees, causing flooding and triggering landslides as it swept over the island.
A 48-year-old motorcyclist was killed by a falling power pole in the capital Taipei on Thursday, taking the storm's death toll to two, with more than 500 injured, the National Fire Agency said.
A search was also under way for four people who went hunting in the mountains of central Taiwan on Wednesday and have not been heard from since that evening.
Kong-rey weakened to a severe tropical storm as it moved across the Taiwan Strait towards China on Friday, the Central Weather Administration said.
In Taiwan, life was returning to normal, with offices, restaurants and schools reopening.
"The typhoon was so strong yesterday," Pan Li-chu told AFP at her restaurant in Taipei, where the awning had been bent by the force of the wind.
"The trees over there at the elementary school were uprooted. The big banyan tree was uprooted," she said.
Kong-rey dumped more than a metre of water in some of the hardest-hit areas along the east coast, the Central Weather Administration said.
In Taitung county, where the storm made landfall, a fire department official told AFP there had been no reports of "severe damage".
"It's mostly trees falling down and crushing into electricity poles that caused a power outage," said the official, who gave only his surname Huang.
"There are four reported cases of flooding and all have receded. There are also three reported cases of mudslides, including one near a tunnel, which we are verifying now."
Forecasters had warned of a severe impact from Kong-rey as it intensified into a super typhoon during its approach to Taiwan.
More than 11,500 people fled their homes as authorities warned of landslides.
Kong-rey was the same strength as Typhoon Gaemi, which was the most powerful storm to hit Taiwan in eight years when it made landfall in July, but Kong-rey's radius of 320 kilometres made it the biggest in nearly three decades.
Taiwan is accustomed to frequent tropical storms from July to October, but the weather agency said it was unusual for such a powerful typhoon to hit this late in the year.
Scientists have warned climate change is increasing the intensity of storms, leading to heavier rains, flash floods and stronger gusts.
Kong-rey is the third typhoon to hit Taiwan since July.
Gaemi killed at least 10 people, injured hundreds and triggered widespread flooding in the southern seaport of Kaohsiung.
That was followed in early October by Krathon, which killed at least four people and injured hundreds, triggering mudslides, flooding and record-strong gusts. - AFP
