Typhoon Dujuan makes landfall, disrupts traffic in Taiwan

A pedestrian walks in the street against the wind in Taipei, southeast China's Taiwan, Sept. 28, 2015.[Photo/Xinhua]

TAIPEI - Typhoon Dujuan made landfall in northeastern Taiwan's Yilan County at around 6 pm Monday, bringing the second-strongest storm in 34 years to the county's Su'ao Township, the local meteorological bureau said.

As of 7:15 pm, the typhoon was centered 20 km northwest of Hualien County and moving west-northwest at a speed of 21 km per hour, packing maximum sustained winds of 184 km per hour, with winds reaching 227 km per hour.

Some 5,000 people living in mountainous areas across the island have been evacuated in anticipation of possible geological disasters, local authorities said Monday evening.

Monday is the last day of the island's three-day Mid-Autumn holiday. Flight delays , train suspension and highway closures have disrupted people's travels.

Taiwan's high speed railway service, which serves the western part of the island, was suspended at 3 pm due to strong winds and heavy rain. Conventional railway services along the eastern Taiwan corridor, which are the aorta of the transportation network in the area, have also been suspended, stranding tens of thousands at stations.

Coastal highways through the counties of Yilan and Hualien have been fully closed since 2 p.m. Highways passing through mountainous areas also had partial closures, local media reported.

Tailbacks stretching several kilometers were seen on freeways out of Taipei in the afternoon.

As of 5 pm, 72 flights had been delayed and 221 flights canceled, according to Taiwan's aviation management agency. More flight cancellations are expected.

Almost all cities and counties across the island including Taipei, New Taipei, Keelung and Taichung have announced to continue the school and office closures through Tuesday morning until the typhoon leaves the island near noontime.