Typhoon Champi Strikes Taiwan Leaving One Dead and Hundreds Injured

Typhoon Champi swept past Taiwan on Friday and Saturday, killing one person and injuring more than 500 others while unleashing torrential rain and destructive winds that shuttered schools and offices across the island.

Taiwan's fire department said the fatality involved a man who was swept away by waves on Liuqiu Island, while the number of injuries reached 527.

The storm knocked out electricity to more than 167,000 homes at the peak of the outages, though state-owned utility Taipower restored power to most affected households by Saturday.

Transport services faced severe disruption as hundreds of flights were cancelled across Taiwan's airports, halting connections to regional destinations including Bangkok and other hubs.

The storm highlights the vulnerability of the region to powerful autumn typhoons, though Taiwan remains well prepared for severe weather events due to strict infrastructure standards.

"It was most terrifying around midnight," said Lin, a retired teacher in Yilan, while inspecting downed banana trees in his garden.

Lin added that it was a sleepless night and that he had not seen anything like the storm in many years.

At its peak, Champi ranked as a super typhoon with maximum sustained winds approaching 298 kilometers per hour before weakening as it approached the island.

Taiwan's Central Weather Administration reported maximum gusts of around 126 kilometers per hour near the storm's centre as it passed roughly 150 kilometers east of the island.

Reports differed on whether the storm made direct landfall, with some outlets stating it swept past the northeast coast while others reported an initial landfall.

Authorities in northern and central Taiwan extended closures of financial markets, schools, and offices for a second consecutive day on Saturday.

The storm is now tracking north toward the eastern coast of mainland China before eventually turning northeastward toward southern Japan.