Taiwan braced for substantial damage from super typhoon

Taiwan closed schools and evacuated thousands of people in the south of the island ahead of the arrival of Super Typhoon Krathon as the president warned it was likely cause "catastrophic damage".

Krathon, packing sustained winds of 198 kilometres per hour - equivalent to a Category 3 hurricane - and gusts of up to 245kph was expected to make landfall today near the major port city of Kaohsiung.

Offices and schools were closed across southern and eastern Taiwan and the interior ministry said more than 7,700 people had been evacuated from vulnerable areas as a precaution.

President Lai Ching-te warned Krathon could "inevitably cause catastrophic damage".

"The path of Krathon is relatively rare, entering from the south and exiting from the east. Therefore we must be particularly vigilant," he said at a government briefing.

Nearly 40,000 troops were on standby for relief missions, the defence ministry said.

Dozens of international and domestic flights have been cancelled.

In southern Kaohsiung where the typhoon was forecast to make landfall, residents filled sandbags and erected barriers around their homes for flood protection and taped windows.

Coast guard officers patrolling the nearby popular tourist beauty spot of Sizihwan Bay told people to stay away as powerful waves pounded the coast.

The storm is approaching Taiwan after pounding a remote group of Philippine islands, where it cut power and communications and damaged "many" houses, according to the local mayor.

The Philippines' National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said nearly 1,800 people had been evacuated, around half in the Batanes islands near southern Taiwan.

Across Taiwan, 15 typhoon-related minor injuries were reported as of today, authorities said without providing details.

In Taitung, where the typhoon has brought heavy rains and waves of up to 23 feet, a man was sent to hospital after his truck was hit by a huge falling rock as he was driving along a mountainous route, local media said.

Typhoons are common around the region at this time of year.

However, a recent study showed that they are increasingly forming closer to coastlines, intensifying more rapidly and lasting longer over land due to climate change.