One Person Dead In Taiwan From Typhoon Koinu's Record Winds

Pingtung, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 5th Oct, 2023) Typhoon Koinu left at least one person dead on Thursday as it grazed Taiwan's southern tip, lashing the island with the strongest winds it has ever recorded and knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of homes.

Koinu made landfall on the island's southernmost Cape Eluanbi Thursday morning and was weakening as it moved into the Taiwan Strait by 3 pm (0700 GMT), according to the Central Weather Administration.

Authorities said an 84-year-old woman died in her home in western Taichung city after she was injured by glass shattered due to the gales.

Pan Huang Kui-chun, a 68-year-old temple keeper in southern Pingtung county -- the typhoon's epicentre -- said it was "terrifying" watching powerful winds bring down power poles.

"It nearly dismantled my house. I had to move all my deities to the side," he told AFP.

"This time, the typhoon was especially big. Really big. The wind was really strong. And it blew for a very long time.

It took a long time for it to pass."

Overnight, the eastern volcanic islet of Orchid Island -- home mostly to fishermen and farmers -- experienced wind gusts equivalent to 342.72 kilometres per hour (212 mph) as Koinu moved west towards Taiwan's southern tip, according to the Central Weather Administration.

"The maximum wind gusts of 95.2 metres per second measured in Orchid Island last night is a new record in Taiwan," a forecaster told AFP.

Local media said around 2,400 homes on Orchid Island were without power, while the classrooms of an elementary school were damaged by the powerful gales.

Authorities had closed schools and offices on Thursday in anticipation of Koinu's impact.

Taiwan experiences frequent tropical storms from May to November.

Experts say climate change has made the paths of tropical storms harder to forecast while increasing their intensity -- leading to heavy rains, flash floods and strong gusts.