TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — A powerful typhoon has made landfall Taiwan on Thursday, killing two people and bringing strong winds and flooding to much of the east coast and northern areas of the island after passing through the northern Philippines.

Flights and train services were suspended in Taiwan and 8,600 people moved to shelters.

Typhoon Kong-rey was packing winds of 184 kilometers per hour (114 miles per hour) with gusts of up to 227 km/h (141 mph) as it moved over eastern Taitung County. Parts of Yilan and Hualien counties were flooded by heavy rains, but many farmers in the largely rural areas had already brought in their crops in anticipation of damage from the storm.

Winds in Kong-rey dropped to 144 km/h (89 mph) as of Thursday night, according to the Central Taiwan Meteorological Administration, and the center of the storm moved away from the main island. It is expected to move northeast and hit Taiwan’s outlying islands.

Authorities in Taiwan reported two deaths and 205 injuries from the storm Thursday afternoon. One of the deaths occurred when a tree fell on a vehicle. Police in Taipei reported that another person was killed when a power pole fell, according to the Central Taiwan News Agency.

Officials also said they were trying to contact a pair of Czech tourists who had been hiking in Hualien’s Tarako National Park, famous for its steep cliffs and mountain trails. Other travelers were advised to stay where they were.

The capital, Taipei, was largely closed as it was battered by strong winds and heavy rain. Offices and schools across the island were closed. Off the north coast, a tug was sent to tow a Chinese-registered cargo ship that capsized and was abandoned by its crew in heavy seas.

Early Thursday, the eye of the typhoon blew about 110 kilometers (68 miles) east of the northernmost Philippine province of Batanes, a group of islands and islets of about 19,000 people. Villagers in the northern provinces of the Philippines were evacuated to shelters on Wednesday.

The Philippine weather agency warned that the storm could blow out roofs and windows and cause extensive damage to farmland, but there were no immediate reports of casualties.

“It’s so, so strong and we haven’t seen the extent of the damage yet because the wind outside is still so strong,” Batanes Gov. Marilou Cayco told The Associated Press by cellphone before the line was cut.

Kong-rey, the 12th weather disturbance to hit the Philippine archipelago this year, hit the Southeast Asian nation as it is still recovering from a storm last week that left 179 dead and missing. Hundreds of thousands of people are still in emergency shelters Tropical Storm Trami.

China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory and regularly sends aircraft and warships around the island, has largely suspended its patrols, with only eight aircraft being detected around the island between Wednesday and Thursday, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense.

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AP Writer Jim Gomez contributed from Manila, Philippines.