TAITUNG, Taiwan, Oct 5 (Portal) – Typhoon Koinu swept across southern Taiwan on Thursday, injuring 190 people and causing some damage but no fatalities, as heavy rains and strong winds forced millions of people in many cities to evacuate work and to miss school.
Koinu, which means “puppy” in Japanese, made landfall on Taiwan’s Hengchun Peninsula as a category four typhoon – recording winds of up to 252 km/h (156 mph) – but weakened as it crossed into the Taiwan Strait and headed toward China’s Guangdong province, according to Tropical Storm Risk.
The heaviest rain fell in mountainous and sparsely populated parts of Pingtung county in the south and Taitung and Hualien counties on the east coast, but the typhoon also hit the major port city of Kaohsiung in the south.
Most cities and counties declared a day off from work and school, but the island’s capital Taipei, home of the financial markets, was unaffected and continued to operate normally.
Chipmaker TSMC (2330.TW) said its factories were also operating normally.
[1/5]Concrete barriers designed to block traffic on a bridge are pictured after Typhoon Koinu passed the southern tip of Taiwan on October 5, 2023 in Jinlun, Taiwan. Portal/Carlos Garcia Rawlins acquires license rights
The typhoon entered the Taiwan Strait late Thursday morning but was forecast to continue into Friday, particularly in the south and east of the island.
The Taiwanese fire department reported 190 injuries but no deaths, as well as some damage to buildings.
But even more damage was reported on Orchid Island, off the coast of Taitung in the Pacific Ocean, which is home to about 5,000 people. Images on social media showed cars swept off the road and fishing boats sunk in a harbor.
Taiwan’s two main domestic airlines, UNI Air and Mandarin Airlines, canceled most of their flights for Thursday, while ferries to offshore islands were also suspended.
According to the Ministry of Transportation, a total of 46 international flights were canceled, but the high-speed rail link between northern and southern Taiwan was not affected.
Reporting by Fabian Hamacher and Carlos Garcia; Writing by Ben Blanchard. Edited by Gerry Doyle
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