Typhoon Champi sweeps past Taiwan, leaving one dead and 500 injured

YILAN, Taiwan/TAIPEI: Typhoon Champi swept past Taiwan on Saturday, killing one person and injuring more than 500, downing trees and cutting power, as it continued to weaken and head north towards the Chinese coast, although it was not expected to make landfall there.

At one point a super typhoon and one of the strongest storms in the Pacific this year, Champi was weakening but still packing gusts of around 126kph near its centre, according to Taiwan's Central Weather Administration.

The storm was about 150km east of Taiwan, having skirted the island's northeastern coast in Yilan County early on Saturday, the CWA said.

The centre of the storm turned south around midnight, hugging the Yilan coastline before making a rare loop offshore and moving northward away from the island. It triggered gusts of about 227kph in some coastal areas, knocking down power lines and sending roof tiles flying.

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'Most terrifying around midnight'

"It was most terrifying around midnight," said a retired teacher surnamed Lin as he inspected downed banana trees in his garden in Yilan. "It was a sleepless night. I haven't seen anything like this in many years."

The storm's forecast track shows it turning north, tracking up the Chinese coast and eventually moving into southern Japan.

Taiwan's fire department said the death toll remained at one, a man swept away by waves off the island of Liuqiu, with 527 people injured during the strong winds and torrential rain.

Taipower said that, at one point, more than 288,000 homes had lost electricity, although power had been restored to most of them.

The Transport Ministry said 242 flights were cancelled, an improvement from Friday, when the number was almost 1,000.

In the capital, Taipei, there were downed trees and intermittent squally rain showers.

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A swathe of northern and central Taiwan, including Taipei, declared a second day of office and school closures on Saturday.

Taiwan is generally well prepared for typhoons, helping to keep casualties low. Although more common in summer, the storms can strike in autumn too.

China's Emergency Management Ministry sent a team to the eastern province of Zhejiang as Champi approached, warning of strong winds and heavy rain through Sunday.

It said 400 rescue workers and 600 pieces of equipment had been readied, while more than 41,000 firefighters were on emergency duty.

In Taizhou, a city on Zhejiang's coast, more than 3,800 fishing boats returned to harbour, offshore fish-farm workers were brought ashore and 2,084 island visitors were evacuated, state media reported.

Authorities halted 25 offshore construction projects and suspended 18 passenger ferry routes.