Typhoon Champi halts Taiwan and disrupts regional flights
Bbc · 2 SOURCES1 day ago2 MIN
Summary
Typhoon Champi brought widespread disruption to Taiwan on Friday as authorities shut schools and offices across nearly all of the island’s 22 counties and cities while the storm tracked near the north-east coast. Hundreds of flights were cancelled in Taiwan and across the wider East Asia region, and major airports including Taoyuan, Taipei Songshan, Kaohsiung and Taichung saw large-scale cancellations. Authorities said one person died after being swept away by waves, 171 people were injured and about 1,000 were evacuated. Forecasters said the eye was expected to pass without making landfall, but warned that heavy rain and strong winds would continue into Saturday and that landfall could not be ruled out completely
Key Points
- Taiwan’s transport ministry said 262 domestic flights and 715 international and cross-strait flights had been cancelled by 10am on Friday
- Work and classes were suspended in nearly all of Taiwan’s 22 counties and cities, with only Kinmen county continuing normal operations
- Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration forecast up to 90cm of rain in the north-east through Saturday, with rainfall peaking on Saturday morning
- Champi carried wind gusts of 191km/h on Friday afternoon, while mainland Chinese authorities said winds near its centre reached 162km/h.
- After passing Taiwan’s north-eastern tip and Okinawa, the storm was expected to move off China’s eastern coast before curving towards Japan’s main island
Why It Matters
For Hong Kong readers, the storm’s path matters because weather agencies in Hong Kong were among those tracking a system expected to move along the East China coast after passing Taiwan. The scale of flight cancellations in Taiwan and the expected impact on 14 airports in eastern mainland China also point to wider regional travel disruption that can affect onward journeys across Asia