The typhoon, packing winds of 144 km/h with gusts of up to 180 km/h, was located 100 km southwest of Kaohsiung city at 21:00 local time, according to the country’s Central Meteorological Administration (CWA).
Overnight Tuesday into Wednesday, it was downgraded to a Category 2 hurricane.
It is expected to reach the area around 10:00 local time (05:00 Greek time), near the port of Kaohsiung or the city of Taiman (southwest), before quickly weakening, as forecasters predict.
“This typhoon is moving very slowly,” stressed Cheng Chia-ping, the director of the CWA.
The government announced that the island’s offices and schools would remain closed tomorrow, while tens of thousands of people were evacuated as a precaution from areas considered high risk.
Authorities recorded two dead, two missing and more than 100 injured and announced that nearly 55,000 households are without electricity.
After being injured yesterday while cutting down trees in Hualien County, a 70-year-old man was taken to hospital where he succumbed to his injuries today.
A 66-year-old man, who had been in hospital since Monday near Taitung in the southeast after his truck crashed into a huge rock that had fallen onto the road, also succumbed today.
Prime Minister Cho Jung-tai appealed to Taiwanese residents to stay at home and be vigilant: Typhoon “Krathon is moving very slowly, which extends the time it can cause damage to Taiwan (…).”
All domestic flights have been canceled today and will continue to be canceled tomorrow, while 250 international flights have also been suspended.
Nearly 40,000 soldiers are on standby to take part in possible rescue operations, the Ministry of Defense said.
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