Typhoon Champi Sweeps Past Taiwan: 1 Dead, 527 Injured as 288,000 Homes Lose Power

Typhoon Champi swept past Taiwan on Saturday, killing one person and injuring 527, as the former super typhoon glanced off the island's north-east coast in Yilan County, Reuters reported. The storm, one of the strongest in the Pacific this year, made a rare loop offshore after turning south around midnight, hugging the Yilan coastline before moving away northward.
Taiwan's fire department said the one death was a man swept away by waves from the island of Liuqiu, while 527 people were hurt in heavy wind and torrential rain. Coastal gusts reached 227 kph (141 mph), knocking down power lines and sending roof tiles flying, and state utility Taipower said more than 288,000 homes lost electricity, though most were reconnected. In Taipei there were downed trees and squally showers, and 259 flights were cancelled on Saturday, down from almost 1,000 on Friday.
Governments across northern and central Taiwan, including Taipei, declared a second day of office and school closures on Saturday. Forecasters expect Champi, still packing gusts of about 126 kph near its centre, to track north along China's coast toward southern Japan without making landfall in China. China's emergency ministry has sent a team to Zhejiang province, where more than 3,800 fishing boats returned to harbour and 2,084 island visitors were evacuated.
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