Typhoon Champi kills one, injures 500+ in Taiwan before heading to China

Typhoon Champi swept across Taiwan on Saturday, leaving one person dead and more than 500 injured, according to multiple reports. The storm uprooted trees and severed power connections across the island. Large parts of Taiwan, including the capital Taipei, remained mostly closed as the typhoon weakened but continued to pose dangers.

Before making landfall, the approaching typhoon prompted massive flight disruptions. Taiwan's transport ministry reported that as of 10am on Friday, 262 local flights and 715 international and cross-strait flights had been cancelled. Hong Kong airlines cancelled or rescheduled more than a dozen flights to and from Taiwan and Japan, with budget carrier HK Express announcing the cancellation of 10 flights between Hong Kong and Taiwan on Friday alone.

Flight cancellations surged across East Asia as the storm approached. More than 70 flights between Hong Kong and Taiwan were cancelled as the typhoon neared the island, with more than 30 cancelled to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport alone by noon on Friday. Additional cancellations affected services to Kaohsiung and Taichung.

Authorities in Taiwan took emergency precautions ahead of the typhoon's closest approach. According to reports, nearly 1,300 people were evacuated and troops were mobilised. Schools and offices across the island were closed as a precautionary measure against the severe weather.

Power outages affected over 167,000 homes as the typhoon struck. The storm brought heavy rain and strong winds, causing widespread disruption to transport and daily life across multiple regions.

After weakening as it moved away from Taiwan, Typhoon Champi headed north toward the Chinese coast. The storm also prompted emergency precautions in eastern mainland China, including Shanghai, and in Japan, which was conducting a large-scale joint military drill with the United States during the typhoon's approach.