TAIPEI, Taiwan — A powerful typhoon made landfall in Taiwan on Thursday, killing two people and bringing high winds and floods to much of the island's east coast and northern areas, after barreling past the northern Philippines.
Flights and train service were suspended in Taiwan and 8,600 people moved to shelters.
Typhoon Kong-rey was blowing at 184 kilometers per hour (114 miles per hour) with gusts of up to 227 kph (141 mph) as it moved over the eastern county of Taitung. Parts of Yilan and Hualien counties were inundated by heavy rain, but many farmers in the largely rural areas had already brought in their crops in anticipation of damage from the storm.
Kong-rey's winds weakened to 144 kph (89 mph) as of Thursday night, according to Taiwan's Central Weather Administration, and the center of the storm moved off the main island. It is expected to move northeast and will hit Taiwan's outlying islands.
Taiwan authorities reported two dead and 205 injuries from the storm as of Thursday afternoon. One of the deaths occurred when a tree fell on a vehicle. Taipei police reported that another person was killed when an electricity pole fell over, according to Taiwan's Central News Agency.
Officials also said they were trying to contact a pair of Czech tourists who had been hiking in Hualien's Tarako National Park, famed for its steep cliffs and mountain trails. Other travelers were advised to stay where they were.
The capital, Taipei, was largely shut down as it was hit by high winds and heavy rains. Offices and schools across the island were closed. Off the north coast, a tugboat was dispatched to tow a Chinese-registered freighter that floundered and had been abandoned by its crew amid heavy seas.
Earlier Thursday, the typhoon's eye blew about 110 kilometers (68 miles) east of the northernmost Philippine province of Batanes, a cluster of islands and islets of about 19,000 people. Villagers in northern Philippine provinces evacuated to shelters on Wednesday.
