Typhoon Champi swept past Taiwan on Saturday killing one person, injuring more than 500, and uprooting trees and severing power as it weakened and headed north toward the Chinese coast. Earlier classified as a super typhoon and one of the strongest storms in the Pacific this year, Champi was still packing gusts of about 126km per hour (78 miles per hour) near its centre, according to Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration (CWA). The storm was about 150km (93 miles) east of Taiwan, the CWA said, having glanced off the island’s northeast coast in the early hours of Saturday.
Champi’s forecast track shows it turning north toward the Chinese coast before eventually moving into southern Japan. Taiwan’s fire department said one man had been killed, swept by waves from the island of Liuqiu. Another 527 people were injured during heavy wind and torrential rain.
Taipower said more than 167,000 homes had lost electricity, but most had now been reconnected. Large parts of northern and central Taiwan, including Taipei, declared a second day of office and school closures on Saturday, and some flights were still being cancelled. Taiwan is generally well prepared for typhoons, which keeps casualties low.
Although more common in summer, the storms can strike also in autumn.
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