Taiwan continues to feel the brunt of typhoon Krathon

Typhoon Krathon continued to bring strong winds and heavy rain to Taiwan on Thursday, with areas experiencing torrential downpours accompanied by strong winds, leading to two deaths, the closure of schools and businesses, and hundreds of flights being canceled.

As of 8 pm on Wednesday, the typhoon has already resulted in two deaths, 102 injuries and two people missing in the island, according to Taiwan authorities.

Taiwan media reported that a 70-year-old man in Hualien county, fell from a height of three meters while trimming trees at home and died despite medical treatment, a 66-year-old man in Taitung died after his car collided with falling rocks, two people each in the counties of Yunlin and Hualien fell into the sea and were washed away by water, with search and rescue efforts ongoing.

Taiwan is on high alert for the typhoon, with Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport has cancelled 132 passenger and cargo flights on Wednesday. A total of 14 routes with 161 flights were expected to be suspended on Thursday, island media reported.

All 22 counties and cities in Taiwan suspended work and classes on Wednesday and Thursday.

The weather authorities of Taiwan said that due to the typhoon's slow progress, its impact on Taiwan may continue until the weekend.

On Wednesday, influenced by Typhoon Krathon, moderate to heavy rain was observed in southeastern Zhejiang province and northeastern Fujian province on the Chinese mainland, with some areas experiencing heavy rainfall.

Zhangyi1@chinadaily.com.cn