TAITUNG, Taiwan, Oct 5 (Reuters) – Typhoon Koinu brushed past southern Taiwan on Thursday, injuring 190 people and causing some damage but no deaths, as lashing rains and strong winds forced millions of people in a swathe of cities to miss work and school.
Koinu, which means “puppy” in Japanese, made landfall on Taiwan’s Hengchun peninsula as a category four typhoon – indicating winds of up to 252 kph (156 mph) – but it weakened as it crossed into the Taiwan Strait and headed towards 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 the east coast counties of Taitung and Hualien, but the typhoon also affected the major southern port city of Kaohsiung.
Most cities and counties declared a day off work and school though the island’s capital, Taipei, home to financial markets, was not affected and was operating as normal.
Chipmaker TSMC (2330.TW) said its factories were also working normally.
[1/5]Concrete barriers placed to block the traffic on a bridge are pictured after Typhoon Koinu passed the southern tip of Taiwan, in Jinlun, Taiwan October 5, 2023. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins Acquire Licensing Rights
The typhoon entered the Taiwan Strait late on Thursday morning but heavy rain was forecast to last into Friday, mostly in the island’s south and east.
Taiwan’s fire department reported 190 injuries but no deaths, as well as some damage to buildings.
However, more damage was reported on Orchid Island off Taitung’s coast in the Pacific Ocean and home to about 5,000 people, with pictures on social media showing cars blown off roads and fishing boats sunk in a harbour.
Taiwan’s two main domestic airlines, UNI Air and Mandarin Airlines, cancelled most their flights for Thursday, while ferries to outlying islands were also stopped.
A total of 46 international flights were cancelled, the transport ministry, said, but the high speed rail connecting northern and southern Taiwan was not affected.
Reporting by Fabian Hamacher and Carlos Garcia; Writing by Ben Blanchard. Editing by Gerry Doyle
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