Typhoon Champi Kills One and Injures 350 Across Taiwan as Storm Weakens

Typhoon Champi left one person dead and about 350 injured across Taiwan as its strong winds and heavy rain lashed the island overnight from Friday into Saturday morning, bringing down trees and signs, damaging structures and cutting electricity to hundreds of thousands of homes.

The storm did not make a direct landfall on Taiwan, but its span was wide enough to reach most of the island, the island's weather authorities said. They added that Champi was weakening on Saturday morning and that the land warnings issued for the typhoon were expected to be lifted by evening.

Taiwan's Central Emergency Operations Centre reported that 350 people had been injured as of Friday night. The single death reported was of a man who was swept away by waves in Pingtung county, the southernmost part of the island.

Electricity was knocked out for about 280,000 households, the Taiwanese newspaper United Daily News reported, citing the island's power authorities. By Saturday morning, supply had been restored to about 80 per cent of the affected households.

Across the island, the storm brought down trees and road signs and damaged some smaller structures. In Taipei, it also brought down the ceiling of a college dormitory, the newspaper reported.

Land warnings of this kind are issued when a typhoon is expected to bring damaging winds and heavy rain over the island, and they are usually accompanied by precautionary measures such as the closure of schools and offices and the suspension of some transport services. The emergency operations centre coordinates the response of local governments and utility agencies during such events.

Taiwan lies on a frequent path for typhoons forming in the western Pacific, and the island's typhoon season generally runs from around May to November. Storms in the region routinely disrupt power supply, road transport and air travel, and can trigger landslides in the island's mountainous interior.

Authorities in Taiwan have in recent years invested in early warning systems and pre-emptive evacuations in vulnerable districts, particularly in the southern and eastern counties where heavy rain can send mud and rock down hillsides. The full extent of damage from Champi was still being assessed on Saturday, with local governments reporting on fallen trees, blocked roads and structural damage as they worked through the island.

Champi is now expected to move away from Taiwan towards Japan, weakening further as it goes. Weather authorities in the region are continuing to track the system, and residents in areas along its projected path have been advised to follow local advisories.

The storm's passage comes as communities across East Asia remain alert to the risks of extreme weather during the annual typhoon season. Emergency officials in Taiwan have urged residents to avoid coastal areas and to report downed power lines, while utility crews continue restoration work in districts where supply is yet to be fully restored.