Deadly typhoon sweeps across Taiwan

Thousands of people were evacuated in Taiwan and the entire island declared an “alert zone” as Typhoon Soulik made landfall early Saturday morning, killing one person and injuring 21. 

In Taipei, a 50-year-old police officer died after he was hit in the head by a brick that came loose during the typhoon, the Central Emergency Operation Centre said.

Taiwan’s Central Weather Bureau said Typhoon Soulik hit the northeast coast early Saturday morning.

More than 8,500 people have been evacuated from mountainous and other dangerous areas and thousands of soldiers have been deployed.

Typhoon Soulik, a medium-force typhoon, had wind speeds of around 173 km/h (100 mph) on Saturday morning.

It made landfall at around 03:00 on Saturday (19:00 GMT on Friday), Taiwan’s Central Weather Bureau reported.

A police officer was killed by falling bricks but other people suffered mostly light injuries, including from fallen trees or being blown off their scooters.

The strong winds and heavy rain have caused electricity disruptions, a run on food and essential supplies in supermarkets, and uprooted trees and signs in some areas.

Businesses and schools were closed and residents were advised to stay indoors.  Taiwan’s China Airlines and Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific Airways have warned of significant flight cancellations.

Later Saturday, the typhoon is expected to cross the narrow Taiwan Strait and hit the Chinese provinces of Fujian and Zhejiang.  Recent torrential rain across large parts of China has already left 200 people dead or missing.

Typhoons are common during the summer in parts of East Asia, where the warm moist air and low pressure conditions enable tropical cyclones to form.

In 2009, Taiwan was hit by Typhoon Morakot, which left hundreds dead in floods and mudslides.

Source: THE TIMES OF EARTH and Agencies