Typhoon Champi kills one and injures more than 500 in Taiwan as it heads to China

Champi was earlier classified as a super typhoon and one of the strongest storms in the Pacific this year, but it was still packing gusts of about 126km per hour (78 miles per hour) near its centre.

The storm was about 150km (93 miles) east of Taiwan, having glanced off the island’s northeast coast in the early hours of Saturday.

Taiwan’s fire department said one man had been killed, swept by waves from the island of Liuqiu, and another 527 people were injured during heavy wind and torrential rain.

Taipower reported that more than 167,000 homes had lost electricity, but most had now been reconnected.

Large parts of northern and central Taiwan, including Taipei, declared a second day of office and school closures on Saturday, and some flights were still being cancelled.

Forecast and next steps

Champi’s forecast track shows it turning north toward the Chinese coast before eventually moving into southern Japan.

Taiwan is generally well prepared for typhoons, which keeps casualties low, although more common in summer, the storms can strike also in autumn.