Typhoon Danas reached the densely populated west coast of Taiwan on Sunday evening. At least two people were killed and more than five hundred others were injured. On Monday, 700,000 households are still without power.
At its peak, the typhoon reached wind speeds of approximately 220 kilometers per hour and left a trail of destruction. It is the second most powerful typhoon ever measured, according to Reuters based on Taiwanese weather authorities.
A 69-year-old man died when a tree fell on his car while driving. A sixty-year-old man died after his ventilator failed due to the power outage. The government has not yet made any statements about the condition of the injured.
On Monday morning, the devastation became clear: more than seven hundred trees have been uprooted and concrete electricity poles have been damaged in the southern city of Tainan. Due to the large-scale power outage, three hundred domestic and international flights have also been canceled. Schools and businesses will remain closed on Monday in dozens of cities and provinces.
Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te urged his compatriots to prepare shortly before the typhoon on Sunday. “All of Taiwan will be affected by wind and rain,” he wrote on Facebook.
Taiwan is often hit by summer typhoons, but they often reach the mountainous and sparsely populated east coast of the island. It is the first time since 1958 that a typhoon has made landfall in southwestern Chiayi County. Danas is expected to move eastward to China as a tropical storm.