TAIPEI – Orchid Island recorded Taiwan’s fastest-ever wind speeds since records began as Typhoon Koinu battered the southern part of Taiwan overnight Wednesday, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA).
At 9.40 pm Wednesday, the island measured sustained winds of 198.7 kilometres per hour (kph), followed by a gust at 9.53 pm that reached 342.7 kph, both setting all-time highs since Taiwan began keeping records of wind speeds in 1897, said the head of the CWA’s Taitung Weather Station, Huang Chia Mei.
Shortly after, the device measuring the wind speeds broke, Central News Agency (CNA) quoted Huang as saying.
Based on current forecasts, Typhoon Koinu will continue affecting Taiwan throughout the day on Thursday, and will be about 240 km west of Cape Eluanbi at 8 am Friday, with the storm’s outer rim still covering parts of Tainan and Kaohsiung.
Typhoon Koinu has injured 190 people since Wednesday afternoon and left over 62,381 homes and businesses still without power, reported CNA.
Among the 190 injured were seven motorists and scooter riders in Chiayi County who crashed into fallen trees, were hit by toppled trees, or fell while riding their scooters due to strong winds, according to Chiayi’s emergency operation centre.
According to the state-run Taiwan Power Co. (Taipower), the typhoon left 174,459 households without power at one point.
While electricity had been restored to most of those households, 62,381 of them still had no power as of Thursday morning.
Typhoon Koinu has also disrupted air and maritime traffic, forcing the cancellation and delay of 42 international flights and 182 domestic flights. – Bernama
