Typhoon Kong-rey makes landfall in Taiwan

Typhoon Kong-rey, the biggest typhoon to directly hit Taiwan in nearly 30 years, made landfall in Taiwan on Thursday.

Schools and workplaces across Taiwan were closed and supermarkets were stripped bare, as millions of residents braced for the storm which hit at about 13:40 local time (04:40 GMT).

At one point before it made landfall, Typhoon Kong-rey was packing winds over 200km/h close to its centre, making it the equivalent of a Category 4 hurricane.

Hundreds of flights and ferries, along with Taiwan’s stock exchange, have also been suspended.

The typhoon has injured over 70 people and killed at least one person, authorities said on Thursday afternoon. A 56-year-old woman died after a falling tree struck a vehicle she was in.

It has also caused power outages in half a million households, according to electricity supplier Taiwan Power Company.

It is unusual for a typhoon this big to come so late in the year. Taiwan’s typhoon season, according to its weather agency, generally falls between July and September.

For the last eight decades all the strongest typhoons have come within that window. But this year two huge storms have hit Taiwan in October — the other being super typhoon Krathon, which killed four people and left more than 700 injured.

The deadliest storm to hit Taiwan in recent decades was Typhoon Morakot in August 2009. The Category 1 storm dumped 2,777 mm of rain over the south of the island, unleashing flash floods and landslides that killed nearly 900 people.

Taiwanese president Lai Ching-te, who attended a briefing about the typhoon on Thursday morning, urged people to stay at home for their safety.

Kong-rey is expected to weaken gradually after making landfall and moving across Taiwan. The storm should leave the island on Friday, the weather agency said.