Typhoon Champi passed close to Taiwan on Saturday, leaving one person dead and 527 injured as powerful winds and torrential rain brought down trees, damaged power lines and disrupted transportation. Taiwan's fire department said the fatality was a man swept away by waves near Liuqiu Island off the southern county of Pingtung.
The storm did not make a direct landfall on Taiwan, but its broad circulation affected much of the island. Reuters, using an updated emergency-service count, reported 527 injuries. An earlier Associated Press report listed 350 injuries, illustrating how the official total rose as local authorities consolidated reports through Saturday.
Champi weakened after brushing the northeast coast
Taiwan's Central Weather Administration said Champi passed near the island's northeast and weakened as it moved north. Reuters reported that the storm centre was around 150 kilometres east of Taiwan, with gusts near the centre of about 126 kilometres per hour. Forecast tracks pointed toward the Chinese coast and then southern Japan.
Champi had previously reached super-typhoon strength and ranked among the strongest Pacific storms of the year. By Saturday, however, its core was weakening. The danger to Taiwan remained significant because strong outer rain bands and winds continued to affect coastal and urban areas after the centre moved away.
The Central Weather Administration's typhoon database identifies Champi as the season's 29th numbered system in its records and shows a marine warning issued late on October 21. That official record supports the storm identity and warning timeline, while casualty figures come from emergency agencies rather than the weather office.
Power and transport disruption
More than 167,000 households lost electricity at one stage, according to Reuters, although most had been reconnected. The Associated Press, citing a broader earlier power-authority snapshot, reported outages affecting roughly 280,000 households. The figures cover different reporting times and scopes; both show that the storm caused widespread but progressively repaired disruption.
Taiwan Power Company's regional updates documented continuing repair work. In parts of Keelung and New Taipei, 45,312 customers had experienced outages by 2 p.m. on October 24, with about three quarters restored at that point. Crews from multiple districts were deployed to repair lines damaged by wind, fallen trees and debris.
Air travel was also heavily affected. Reuters reported 242 flight cancellations on Saturday after almost 1,000 cancellations on Friday. The AP counted 261 Saturday cancellations and 563 Friday cancellations at Taiwan's main Taoyuan airport alone. Because one figure covers a nationwide transport-ministry count at a particular update and the other focuses on airport reporting, the article does not combine them into a single total.
The disruption extended beyond airports and power lines. Fallen trees and damaged signs blocked some streets, while squalls made coastal travel dangerous. Emergency and utility crews continued working even after the strongest winds shifted away from the island.
Warnings ease as recovery continues
Schools and offices in large parts of northern and central Taiwan remained closed for a second day. Taipei experienced fallen trees and intermittent squalls, while coastal communities were warned to stay away from dangerous waves. The Central Weather Administration expected land warnings to be lifted as Champi weakened and moved away.
The confirmed toll as of Saturday remained one death and 527 injuries. Restoration work was continuing, and casualty or outage totals could change with later official updates. Champi's next path was expected to bring it toward southern Japan after tracking north near China's coast, so authorities outside Taiwan continued monitoring the storm.
