Keelung:

Taiwan shut down on Thursday as Super Typhoon Kong-rey approached, forcing thousands of people to flee one of the strongest storms to threaten the island in years.

Waves of up to 10 meters battered shores along the mountainous, sparsely populated east coast, where the fast-moving Kong-Rey was expected to make landfall within hours.

Kong-Rey was packing winds of nearly 250 kilometers per hour (155 miles per hour), according to the US Joint Typhoon Warning Center.

The storm is currently stronger than Typhoon Gaemi, which was the strongest typhoon to hit Taiwan in eight years when it made landfall in July.

“With the typhoon approaching, we should beware of strong winds near the center,” Chu Mei-lin of state meteorologists, Central Meteorological Administration, said in a briefing.

“Its effect on all of Taiwan will be quite severe.”

Work and schools in Taiwan were suspended Thursday as people braced for the storm.

The streets of Taipei were largely deserted as gusts of heavy rain and strong winds battered the capital.

“This typhoon feels very strong,” Kevin Lin, a 52-year-old office worker, told AFP as he enjoyed a day off at home.

“I’m used to the many typhoons in Taiwan and I don’t feel scared.”

The troops in waiting

At least 27 people were injured in the wild weather, with trees downed and four mudslides recorded, the National Fire Agency said on Thursday, without giving details.

Authorities were still trying to contact two Czech tourists believed to be hiking in the Taroko Gorge in Hualien after they could not be reached by satellite and cellphones.

More than 400 domestic and international flights were cancelled, while all ferry services were suspended. About 18,000 homes lost power, but most have been reconnected, disaster officials said.

Kong-rey was traveling at 28 kilometers per hour (16 miles per hour) as it headed toward Hualien and Taitung counties.

The storm was expected to slow after making landfall and then cross the island before exiting through the Taiwan Strait in the evening, Chu said.

With a radius of 320 kilometers, Kong-rey was on track to become the largest severe typhoon to make landfall in nearly 30 years, the Central Meteorological Administration said.

More than a meter of rain could fall in the worst-hit areas along the east coast by Friday, as the seasonal monsoon also drenched the island of 23 million people earlier in the week, prompting landslide warnings.

Authorities began evacuations in vulnerable counties and cities including Yilan, Hualien and Taitung on Wednesday, according to the National Fire Agency.

About 8,600 people have been evacuated from their homes by Thursday.

Forecasters warned of “destructive” winds in Kong-Rey, and nearly 35,000 military personnel were on standby to help with relief efforts.

Scientists have warned that climate change is increasing the intensity of storms, leading to heavier rain and stronger flash floods and gusts.

Kong-rey will be the third typhoon to hit Taiwan since July.

Gaemi killed at least 10 people, injured hundreds and triggered widespread flooding in the southern seaport of Kaohsiung.

This was followed in early October by Krathon, which killed at least four people and injured hundreds, triggering mudslides, floods and record-breaking gusts.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)