Typhoon Danas crosses Taiwan, killing two and injuring more than 300

Typhoon Danas brought heavy winds and torrential rains to parts of Taiwan early yesterday, killing two people and injuring more than 300 on the island’s densely populated west coast.

The typhoon lost intensity and was downgraded to a tropical storm as it moved into the Taiwan Strait on a forecast path to China.

Danas knocked out power for more than 580,000 households, and schools and offices were closed across southern and central parts of Taiwan.

The typhoon made landfall on the west coast late Sunday with maximum sustained winds of 144 kph. It dumped more than 60 centimeters of rain in places, causing landslides and flooding.

Two deaths were reported in the southwestern city of Tainan, according to the National Fire Agency. One person died when their vehicle was struck by a falling tree, while another died after his respirator malfunctioned due to losing power.

At least 334 people suffered injuries, while more than 3,400 people were forced to evacuate – mostly from mountainous areas around the southern port city of Kaohsiung.

Thousands of tourists were stranded on the outlying islands of Penghu, Matsu and Green due to the cancellations of ferry services and flights.

Areas of southern and eastern China made preparations ahead of the storm, which is expected to reach the mainland this afternoon. Authorities in southern Guangdong province called hundreds of vessels to port and evacuated more than 2,000 people from offshore facilities. Two cities in the eastern Zhejiang province suspended ferry services and construction work.

Danas earlier intensified seasonal monsoon rains in the Philippines’ northern mountains, flooding low-lying villages and forcing more than 3,000 people to flee to emergency shelters.

Taiwan routinely sees tropical storms between July and October, but they are more common on its sparsely populated eastern coast facing the Pacific.

SIMINA MISTREANU, TAIPEI, MDT/AP