1 dead, nearly 1,000 flights cancelled as Taiwan shuts down ahead of Typhoon Champi

TAIPEI – Almost all of Taiwan shut down on Oct 23 with the approach of Typhoon Champi, which was already bringing strong winds and torrential rain and, though weakening, could still make direct landfall on the island.

At one point a super typhoon and one of the strongest storms in the Pacific in 2026, Champi was still packing gusts of around 191kmh near its centre, according to Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration (CWA).

The storm was about 170km east of Taiwan, the CWA said.

The storm’s forecast track shows it will pass just off north-eastern Taiwan, turn north towards the Chinese coast and eventually move into southern Japan.

One person was killed and 163 were injured – a number revised down from 171 – as powerful winds and driving rain hit Taiwan, where the government said 2,639 people had been evacuated from mountainous areas.

Taipower said more than 77,000 homes had lost power, though electricity had already been restored to most of them.

TSMC, the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said operations were running normally with no significant impact.

CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng told Reuters that landfall could not be ruled out if it “stalls, loops or wobbles from side to side” on approach to Taiwan.

“The storm’s wind radius is quite large, among the bigger ones in recent years,” Liu said.

“If the storm slows down, the strong winds will affect Taiwan for longer.”

Coastal towns received mobile phone alerts warning of gusts exceeding 150kmh and urging residents to seek immediate shelter, while nearly 1m of rain was forecast for northern mountain areas, including around Taipei.

In the north-eastern county of Yilan, where strong winds and heavy showers were intensifying and the typhoon was expected to pass close by later on Oct 23, the authorities distributed sandbags and put amphibious vehicles and inflatable rescue boats on standby.

“When necessary, the military will come in to help people, including using amphibious vehicles for evacuations or disaster relief,” said Lee Ming-chen, head of the port town of Suao, which had been badly flooded in previous typhoons.

In the northern port city of Keelung, boat owners hurried to secure their vessels.

Construction worker Liu Yu-en, 18, said: “It’s not that severe; I’m just worried that there will be flooding.

“Keelung has seen a lot of flooding this year.”

Huge radius

Taiwan forecasters said its radius was around 320km, large enough to cover most of Taiwan, and weather experts said its impact could last nearly two days.

Taiwan’s financial markets also closed on Oct 23, while only the Taiwan-controlled Kinmen islands, which sit next to the Chinese coast, will open schools and offices as normal.

The Transport Ministry said all 262 domestic flights and more than 700 international ones were cancelled for Oct 23.

The north-south high-speed rail service was operating as usual.

Singapore Airlines cancelled four flights scheduled for Oct 23, while its budget arm Scoot cancelled 10 flights for that day, according to advisories issued by both airlines on Oct 22.

There were squally showers in Taipei, but public transport, including the subway, was operating with reduced service.

Taiwan is generally very well prepared for typhoons, which keeps casualties low. Although more common in summer, the storms can strike in autumn too.

The typhoon is forecast to first pass over Japan’s westernmost inhabited island, Yonaguni in Okinawa prefecture. REUTERS