Typhoon Kong-rey hits Taiwan’s east coast, leaving 1 dead

Typhoon Kong-rey hits Taiwan, causing one death, high winds, floods, and evacuations, while sparing the Philippines from casualties.

A powerful typhoon made landfall in Taiwan on Thursday (October 31, 2024), killing one person and bringing high winds and floods to much of the island’s east coast and northern areas, after barreling past the northern Philippines.

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

Typhoon Kong-rey was blowing at 184 kilometers (114 miles) per hour with gusts of up to 227 kph (141 mph) as it moved over the eastern county of Taitung. Parts of Yilan and Hualien counties were inundated by heavy rain, but many farmers in the largely rural areas had already brought in their crops in anticipation of damage from the storm.

Taiwan authorities reported one death and 73 injuries from the storm as of Thursday (October 31, 2024) afternoon. The fatality occurred after a tree fell on a vehicle. Officials also said they were trying to contact a pair of Czech tourists who had been hiking in Hualien's Tarako National Park, famed for its steep cliffs and mountain trails. Other travelers were advised to stay where they were.

The capital, Taipei, was largely shut down as it was hit by high winds and heavy rains. Offices and schools across the island were closed. Off the north coast, a tugboat was dispatched to tow away a Chinese-registered freighter that floundered and had been abandoned by its crew amid heavy seas.

Earlier Thursday (October 31, 2024), the typhoon’s eye blew about 110 kilometers (68 miles) east of the northernmost Philippine province of Batanes, a cluster of islands and islets of about 19,000 people. Villagers in northern Philippine provinces evacuated to shelters on Wednesday (October 30, 2024).

The Philippines weather agency had warned the the storm could blow away roofs and shatter windows and wreak extensive damage to farmland, but there were no immediate reports of casualties.