Typhoon Champi kills 1, injures 527 in Taiwan — Pajhwok

KABUL (Pajhwok): Typhoon Champi killed one person and injured 527 as it swept past Taiwan on Saturday, bringing powerful winds and torrential rain that toppled trees and cut power to hundreds of thousands of homes, according to Reuters. The storm, which was previously a super typhoon, weakened while moving north towards China’s coast, with no landfall expected there, Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The storm’s centre was about 170 kilometres northeast of Taiwan after passing close to Yilan County early on Saturday. Gusts reached 227 kph in some coastal areas, damaging power lines and tearing roof tiles from buildings. “It was most terrifying around midnight,” said retired teacher Lin, who was inspecting fallen banana trees in his garden in Yilan. “It was a sleepless night. I haven’t seen anything like this in many years.” Taiwan’s fire department said a man was swept away by waves off Liuqiu Island, while 527 people were injured. More than 288,000 homes lost electricity, although most supplies had been restored, Taipower said. The transport ministry reported 259 flight cancellations, down from nearly 1,000 on Friday. Schools and offices in Taipei and several other areas of northern and central Taiwan remained closed for a second day. In the capital, fallen trees and intermittent heavy showers disrupted daily life. Resident Thomas Wang, 70, described the storm…