Taiwan shuts down ahead of Typhoon Champi, hundreds of flights canceled

Yilan, Taiwan experienced a complete shutdown on Friday as the island prepared for the arrival of Typhoon Champi, which was expected to bring strong winds and heavy rainfall. Despite the storm's weakening, there was a possibility that it might make direct landfall on the island. At its peak, Champi was a super typhoon with winds reaching 191 kph (119 mph), one of the strongest storms in the Pacific this year, according to Taiwan's Central Weather Administration (CWA).

The storm was situated approximately 320 kilometers (198 miles) east of Taiwan's southern tip, as reported by the CWA. The storm's forecast path indicated that it would pass just off northeastern Taiwan, turn north towards the Chinese coast, and eventually move into southern Japan. Unfortunately, one person lost their life and 94 others were injured in Taiwan.

The government reported that around 1,300 people were evacuated from mountainous regions. CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng warned that landfall could not be ruled out if the storm stalled, looped, or wobbled as it approached Taiwan. The storm's wind radius was considered quite large, among the biggest in recent years, according to Liu.