Taiwan reopens as powerful typhoon kills 2, over 500 injured

By Anadolu staff

Taiwan reopened on Friday after a powerful typhoon hit the island nation a day earlier, claiming the lives of two people and injuring over 500.

The Central Weather Administration lifted the sea and land warnings for Tropical Storm Kong-rey a day after the typhoon swept across Taiwan, Focus Taiwan reported.

The center forecasted that the storm would continue to weaken as authorities reopened businesses and offices in various areas.

On Thursday, authorities closed workplaces and schools across the island due to the approaching storm, which wreaked havoc with strong winds and heavy rain, causing landslides, toppling streetlights and trees, and flooding streets.

So far, two people, including a foreigner, have been killed, and 515 others have been injured, while four people are still missing.

The Central Emergency Operation Center on Friday deployed helicopters to search for the missing individuals; however, bad weather prevented takeoff.

According to the center, authorities also evacuated 11,588 people to safe shelters, and 6,917 fallen trees and instances of infrastructure damage have been reported across Taiwan.

Videos on social media showed Taiwanese military personnel deployed to assist local administrations in rescue efforts, clearing fallen trees from roads to reopen them for traffic.

Kong-rey also forced authorities to cancel over 500 domestic and international flights and disrupted rail service in eastern Taiwan.

The weather agency stated that Super Typhoon Kong-rey was the largest cyclone to hit Taiwan in 27 years, with the last comparable typhoon, Typhoon Herb, making landfall in 1996, characterized by a radius of maximum winds larger than 300 km (186 miles).

Meanwhile, at least 34 people were injured when a ferry collided with a pier in central Hong Kong.

The chartered ferry had earlier left Tsim Sha Tsui and was headed to an HK Electric construction site in Lamma.

According to local media outlet RTHK, there were 118 passengers and two crew members on board the vessel at the time of the accident, and all the injured were taken to the hospital.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid