The storm is expected to hit southwestern city of Khaosiung, home to 2.7 million people, early on Thursday.Taiwan has shut down ahead of the arrival of Typhoon Krathon closing offices and schools, evacuating thousands and cancelling flights and ferry services.
Krathon, with sustained wind speeds of 173km (107 miles) per hour and gusts of up to 209km/h (130mph), is expected to strike the southwestern port city of Kaohsiung in the early hours of Thursday and has already brought torrential rain and strong winds.
The Central Weather Administration said it was located about 160km (99 miles) southwest of Kaohsiung as of 7.00am on Wednesday (23:00 GMT on Tuesday).
Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai asked the city’s 2.7 million residents to stay indoors unless necessary and to avoid flood- and landslide-prone areas near rivers, the sea and the mountains. Up to 80cm (31 inches) of rain has been forecast in surrounding mountainous areas.
Chen warned Krathon would be “no less powerful” than 1977’s Typhoon Thelma, which devastated the city, leaving 37 dead and 298 injured.
Waves crash onto a sea wall in Kaohsiung as Typhoon Krathon approaches [Ann Wang/Reuters]
Typhoons rarely strike Taiwan’s densely populated west coast, usually hitting the mountainous, eastern side of the island facing the Pacific. In July, Typhoon Gaemi triggered landslides and flooding, killing at least 11 people.
All cities and counties in Taiwan declared a day off on Wednesday. The Ministry of Interior said that nearly 10,000 people had been evacuated from at-risk areas as a precaution. Domestic and many international flights were cancel …
