Typhoon Krathon makes landfall in Taiwan, two dead and more than a hundred injured

It has already caused two deaths and more than a hundred injuries. Typhoon Krathon made landfall on Thursday, October 3, in the south of the island of Taiwan, which had been sealed off two days before the arrival of the powerful tropical cyclone. The typhoon was preceded by strong winds of 126 km/h with gusts of up to 162 km/h and heavy rain. “Typhoon Krathon made landfall near the Xiaogang district of Kaohsiung around 12:40 p.m. today” (6:40 a.m. French time) in the south of the island, announced the Central Meteorological Administration of Taiwan (CWA) . The typhoon has already brought torrential rains and strong winds to the island. The authorities recorded two deaths, two missing and more than a hundred injured. A 70-year-old man who fell on Tuesday while pruning trees in Hualien County, eastern Taiwan, died in hospital on Wednesday. Another man, aged 66 and hospitalized Monday near Taitung, in the southeast, following a collision between his truck and a rock that fell on the road, died on Wednesday. Krathon disrupts air traffic, leading to the suspension of all domestic flights on Thursday for the second day in a row. The typhoon also caused temporary power cuts to nearly 55,000 homes, according to authorities. Schools and offices on the island have remained closed since Wednesday and residents of the southern port city of Kaohsiung were urged to take shelter. “There will be destructive winds in this area. Take shelter as soon as possible,” meteorologists warned in messages sent to the cell phones of residents in the region on Thursday. Typhoons are forming closer and closer to shore Tropical storms are common in Taiwan from July to October. However, a recent study concluded that they are forming closer to shore, gaining intensity more quickly and persisting longer after making landfall due to climate change. In July, Typhoon Gaemi, the most powerful to hit the island in eight years, triggered widespread flooding in Kaohsiung and killed at least ten people on the island, as well as around fifty in China in torrential rains, consequence of his passage, and at least forty in the Philippines. Read also | Article reserved for our subscribers With warming, hurricanes are slower and more destructive Add to your selections Le Monde with AFP Reuse this content



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