Typhoon Champi sweeps past Taiwan, leaving one dead and 500 injured

Typhoon Champi made landfall near Taiwan on Saturday, resulting in one fatality and over 500 injuries, according to the Central Weather Administration. The super typhoon, one of the strongest storms in the Pacific this year, initially swept past the island, causing widespread damage with gusts of around 126kph near its center.

As it continued to weaken, the storm turned south around midnight and moved offshore, then shifted northward away from Taiwan. The eye of the storm triggered gusts of approximately 227kph in some coastal areas, downing trees and cutting power.

Taiwan's fire department reported one death, a man swept away by waves off Liuqiu Island, while 527 people were injured due to strong winds and torrential rain. Approximately 288,000 homes lost electricity at one point, but power was subsequently restored to most of them.

Transport Ministry figures indicated 242 flights were canceled, a decrease from the previous day's almost 1,000 cancellations. In Taipei, downed trees and intermittent squally rain showers were reported.

Taiwan is generally well-prepared for typhoons, which helped keep casualties low. China's Emergency Management Ministry sent a team to Zhejiang province as Champi approached, warning of strong winds and heavy rain through Sunday. They had prepared 400 rescue workers and 600 pieces of equipment, along with over 41,000 firefighters on emergency duty.

In Taizhou, a city on Zhejiang's coast, 3,800 fishing boats returned to port, offshore fish-farm workers were brought ashore, and 2,084 island visitors were evacuated. Authorities halted 25 offshore construction projects and suspended 18 passenger ferry routes.