Champi's Fury Grows Over Taiwan: Injured Rise to 171, Heaviest Rain Feared on Saturday Morning

Hundreds of flights across East Asia were cancelled on Friday as powerful Typhoon Champi roared close to Taiwan's north-east coast. Schools and offices in Taiwan were shut as Champi neared the island. While it is uncertain whether it will make landfall, the storm was forecast to bring up to 90cm (35in) of rain and strong winds to the north-east until Saturday. In the latest count, the number of people injured by the storm has risen to 171.

Authorities said one person died after being swept away by waves on Taiwan's Liuqiu island. The storm also forced 1,000 people to evacuate. Taiwan is now bracing for Champi's worst effects on Saturday.

On Friday afternoon, Champi was packing wind gusts of 191 kph (119 mph). At its peak earlier this week it was the planet's strongest storm of the year so far — as it moved over the Philippine Sea it attained a maximum sustained wind speed of 298 kph (185 mph), the equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane.

While initially categorised as a 'super typhoon', Champi weakened on Wednesday. Forecasts by weather agencies in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Japan show the eye of the storm is expected to pass without making landfall in Taiwan. But a forecaster in Taiwan's Central Weather Administration told Reuters they could not rule it out — especially if the storm 'stalls, loops, or wobbles from side to side' as it approaches Taiwan.

The Central Weather Administration said rainfall is expected to peak on Saturday morning and continue to batter Taiwan until Saturday evening. Authorities have urged people to stay away from coasts and mountains.

Work and classes were suspended in nearly all of Taiwan's 22 counties and cities on Friday — what is colloquially known as a 'typhoon holiday' — as Champi approached. Taiwan's $5tn (£3.7tn) stock exchange was also closed on Friday because of the severe weather. Only Kinmen county, an archipelago to the west of Taiwan's main island, continued work and classes as usual.

After passing Taiwan's north-eastern tip and the Okinawa islands in southern Japan, Champi is expected to hover over the waters off China's eastern coast, before curving farther to the north-east toward Japan's main island.

Japan has also felt the storm's impact. Okinawa Electric Power reported power outages in nearly 8,400 households in the southern Okinawa prefecture. More than 160 flights have been cancelled across four Japanese airlines.

Champi has also stirred up heavy rains and winds in Batanes, a Philippine island chain below southern Taiwan. Photos posted on the local government's Facebook page showed waves crashing into seaside villages and roads closed to traffic. There were no immediate reports of casualties there.

Champi is the latest in a string of intense typhoons as a Super El Niño heats up the Pacific Ocean and fuels storms. This is shaping up to be one of the most active typhoon seasons the region has seen in years — Champi is Japan's 30th typhoon of the year, making this the first time since 2013 that the country has seen so many storms.

El Niño is a naturally occurring phenomenon that hits the Pacific Ocean every few years and can trigger extreme weather events, from droughts to typhoons. The recent frequency of storms is being attributed to this unusually strong El Niño.

All eyes are now on Saturday morning — if the rain peaks as forecast, the risk of flooding and landslides in Taiwan's north-east could grow further. Even if the storm avoids landfall, the impact of its outer bands means the island must stay on alert through the weekend.