One dead, 500 injured as Typhoon Champi hits Taiwan

TAIPEI- Typhoon Champi swept past Taiwan on Saturday killing one person and injuring more than 500, downing trees and severing power, as it continues to weaken and head north towards the Chinese coast.

At one point a super typhoon and one of the strongest storms in the Pacific this year, Champi is weakening though still packing gusts of around 126 kph (78 mph) near its centre, according to Taiwan's Central Weather Administration (CWA).

The storm was about 150 km (93 miles) east of Taiwan, the CWA said, having glanced the island's northeast coast in the early hours of Saturday.

The storm's forecast track shows it is now turning north toward the Chinese coast and eventually move into southern Japan.

Taiwan's fire department said the death toll remaining at one, a man swept away by waves from the island of Liuqiu, with 527 injuries during the heavy wind and torrential rain.

Taipower said at one point more than 167,000 homes had lost electricity, though most had been reconnected.

The transport ministry said 242 flights were cancelled, though that was an improvement from Friday when the number was almost 1,000.

In the capital Taipei, there were downed trees and on-off squally rain showers.

A swathe of northern and central Taiwan, including Taipei, declared a second day of office and school closures on Saturday.

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

Reporting by Ben Blanchard and Ann Wang; Editing by Stephen Coates/Reuters