One person killed, over 300 others injured as Typhoon Koinu lashes southern Taiwan
Oct 05, 2023
Taipei [Taiwan], October 5 : One person was killed and 304 others were injured when southern Taiwan was lashed by strong winds and heavy rainfall brought by Typhoon Koinu since Wednesday, Central Emergency Operations Center said on Thursday, Taipei Times reported. Typhoon Koinu lashed southern Taiwan, particularly Orchid Island.
An 80-year-old woman in Taichung die due to severe blooding caused by a cut by broken glass due to the typhoon, according to the center. Nearly 3,30,000 households faced power outages, and 70,000 of them were still waiting for power supply as of 2:30 pm (local time), it said.
As many as 1,251 reports of damage to road trees and 763 reports of infrastructure damage were received by the center. Outlying Orchid Island has been devastated due to Typhoon Koinu with 90 per cent of the boats docked at the island's Kaiyuan Harbor having capsized or disappeared, Taipei Times reported.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) reported that its three anemometers in Lanyu were broken after detecting a gust of 95.2m per second. According to CWA, the gust created a new record since tthe anemometers started to measure wind speeds in Taiwan in 1897.
Speaking to Central News Agency, Lanyu Township Office head Hsieh Hu-yuan said that the typhoon had caused severe damage to the island's infrastructure, Taipei Times reported.
Hseih said, "The township office was flooded. The electricity supply was almost out completely. The main road around the island was inaccessible. Flights and ferries to and from the island were canceled, and homes and boats of civilians were severely damaged. Fortunately, we do not have injured people who need to be transported to Taiwan proper."
Lanyu Township Office head further said that the township would strive to make the highway accessible for people as soon as the wind and rain ease, according to Taipei Times report.
Former legislator Lai Kun-cheng also shared pictures taken by a friend in Lanyu on Facebook. The pictures showed how the typhoon damaged vehicles, houses and a gas station.
Lai said, "We have yet to reach some friends who live in two villages at the windward side. Hope everyone in Lanyu and Taitung survive the disaster." Lanyu Senior High School also reported severe damage caused to its facilities.
