Taiwan shuts down as Typhoon Champi closes in — one dead, 94 injured
Editorial illustration — Press Pass USAAlmost all of Taiwan shut down Friday as Typhoon Champi — briefly a super typhoon and one of the strongest Pacific storms this year — bore down on the island with gusts of 191 kph (119 mph) near its center. One person was killed, swept away by waves, and 94 were injured; roughly 1,300 people were evacuated from mountainous areas.
Authorities suspended work and classes in 20 of Taiwan's 22 counties and cities; only the offshore Kinmen islands and most of Taitung stayed open. All 262 domestic flights were canceled for Friday along with more than 350 international ones, and the island's financial markets closed. In Taipei, squally showers swept the capital while the subway ran on reduced service and the north-south high-speed rail operated as usual. Thousands of military personnel were placed on standby for rescue operations.
Taiwan's Central Weather Administration said the storm's radius of about 320 km was large enough to cover most of the island, and its impact could last nearly two days. The typhoon is forecast to make its closest approach around 2 a.m. Saturday, passing just off northeastern Taiwan before turning north toward the Chinese coast and southern Japan — officials have not ruled out a direct landfall. Up to 90 centimeters (35 inches) of rain is forecast from Thursday through Saturday, with the northeast facing the worst of it.
"As it approaches Taiwan's northeastern tip… the typhoon may slow down. If it slows down, its impact will last longer," warned Lu Kuo-chen, administrator of the Central Weather Administration. Champi is the latest in a busy Pacific storm season fueled by the El Niño weather pattern, which has supercharged cyclones across the region this year.
Sources: Reuters (Oct 23, 2026); The Manila Chronicle — Anadolu/TVBS (Oct 23, 2026); AnewZ (Oct 23, 2026).
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