Super Typhoon Kong-rey struck Taiwan on Thursday, resulting in at least one fatality and 73 injuries due to accidents caused by heavy rainfall and strong winds.
The Central Emergency Operation Centre (CEOC) reported the radius of Kong-rey’s storm exceeded 320 kilometres, making it the largest typhoon hitting Taiwan in nearly the past three decades.
The last one with a storm radius exceeding 300 kilometres making landfall on the island was Typhoon Herb in 1996, according to the state-run Central News Agency.
The storm made landfall in eastern Taiwan in the afternoon on Thursday, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA).
In central Taiwan, the Nantou County government said a truck was crushed by a roadside tree, the CEOC reported.
In the accident, a 56-year-old woman was taken to the hospital but was pronounced dead in the afternoon.
Meanwhile, 73 people around the island were injured in accidents linked to the typhoon, according to the CEOC.
It reported more than 1,429 accidents, such as fallen trees and road damage, adding that 9,658 people in disaster-prone areas in different cities and counties were evacuated.
Around the island, at least 207,209 households experienced a power outage early Thursday.
Schools and businesses across Taiwan closed on Thursday. Financial markets were also shut.
The bad weather resulted in the cancellation of all domestic flights and at least 298 international flights were suspended.
All cross-strait and domestic ferry services were suspended on Thursday.
President Lai Ching-te, who attended the CEOC meeting, said that the military was fully dedicated to supporting disaster prevention efforts.
President Lai also urged the residents and tourists to avoid coastal areas for their safety.
(dpa/NAN)
