Taiwan closes schools and offices as typhoon approaches

Schools and offices have been closed in Taiwan as a powerful typhoon approached on Thursday, bringing high winds and floods to much of the island’s east coast and northern areas.

Typhoon Kong-rey was expected to make landfall on Thursday evening and was blowing at 119mph with gusts of up to 145mph.

Parts of the eastern counties of Yilan and Hualien were inundated, but many farmers in the largely rural areas had already brought in their crops in anticipation of damage from wind and rain.

No casualties or major property damage have been reported in Taiwan from Kong-rey, which prompted villagers in northern Philippine provinces to evacuate to shelters on Wednesday.

In Taiwan’s capital Taipei, rain fell heavily amid high winds, while many public services, schools and offices were closed.

China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory and regularly sends planes and warships around the island, largely suspended such missions, with just eight planes detected around the island between Wednesday and Thursday, according to Taiwan’s Defence Ministry.