Deadly Typhoon Champi Batters Taiwan: 1 Dead, Over 500 Injured Amid Severe Flooding and Winds

TAIPEI — Typhoon Champi whipped past Taiwan’s northeastern coast, leaving at least one person dead, injuring over 500 others, and causing widespread damage across the island. The storm—which reached super typhoon status earlier in its life cycle—unleashed extreme wind gusts and torrential rain before beginning to weaken and pull away towards the Chinese coast.

According to local emergency management and Taiwan’s Fire Department, the storm’s casualty toll reached one fatality after a man was swept away by dangerous swell off Liuqiu Island. In addition, at least 527 people were reported injured, mostly from flying debris, shattering glass, fallen trees, and road accidents brought on by severe gale-force winds.

Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration (CWA) reported extreme coastal conditions, with wind gusts touching up to 227 kph (141 mph) near the storm's core in northeastern Yilan County, where the typhoon made a rare looping turn offshore before tracking north.

The tempest wreaked severe havoc on municipal utilities and transportation networks across the region. State utility provider Taipower confirmed that over 288,000 households lost electricity after violent winds sent falling trees crashing into overhead utility cables. Travel operations came to a near-total standstill, with local hubs canceling hundreds of domestic and international flights, while dozens of ferry and maritime routes were suspended to safeguard vessels from massive 6- to 10-meter waves.

To protect public safety and keep citizens off the roads, local authorities across northern and central Taiwan, including Taipei, ordered mass closures of offices and schools, while emergency services proactively evacuated more than 1,200 residents from high-risk, flood-prone, and landslide-vulnerable areas.

While Champi has begun to weaken—packing maximum sustained winds around 126 kph (78 mph) near its core—meteorologists warn that localized rainstorms remain a risk as moisture wraps around the back of the system.

The storm is currently continuing its northward trajectory into the East China Sea towards China’s Zhejiang province, where maritime authorities have already recalled thousands of fishing vessels into harbor and placed local emergency teams on high alert ahead of expected weekend rain showers.