Typhoon Krathon live: Four dead as slow-moving storm makes landfall in Taiwan

Typhoon Krathon is expected to increase rainfall to parts of Okinawa, Japan, with the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) issuing advisories for the affected regions.

The storm, which made landfall earlier in Taiwan, is now bringing strong winds and heavy rainfall to Okinawa. The JMA has issued warnings for high waves, with heights expected to reach up to 5 metres, as well as for strong winds that could cause localised damage.

Around 51,000 households in Taiwan are without electricity following the landfall of Typhoon Krathon, according to Taiwan Power Company (Taipower).

At its peak the storm caused outages for over 176,000 households, but power has been restored to approximately 70 per cent of the affected areas.

The worst-hit regions include Kaohsiung with 23,556 households still waiting for power restoration and Pingtung County where 23,210 households remain in the dark.

Other affected regions include Taipei, Yunlin, Taitung, and Chiayi, where teams are working to restore electricity amid ongoing heavy rains and challenging conditions.

Mountainous areas in the island’s south have seen up to 169cm (5.5 feet) of rain over the past five days. Thousands were evacuated from areas vulnerable to mudslides and landslides.

China’s weather agency said some eastern and southern parts of Taiwan are still set to see more extremely heavy rain, with up to 40cm (1.3 feet) falling over the next 24 hours.

A fire at a hospital in southern Taiwan killed at least nine people today as the island was being battered by a typhoon.

The fire occurred in Pingtung county, which has been hit hard by Typhoon Krathon, which made landfall in the afternoon with torrential rains and heavy winds and has brought parts of the island to a standstill.

Those who died inhaled smoke from the fire, the source of which was still under investigation.

Soldiers from a nearby base were mobilised to help medical workers and firefighters in the evacuation of patients and putting out the flames.

Reports said 176 patients were rushed to the front entrance and transferred to ambulances in the pouring rain. They were moved to shelters nearby.

A satellite image captured by the Himawari-8 weather satellite today shows Typhoon Krathon as it makes landfall in southern Taiwan.

The storm hit near Kaohsiung earlier in the day as a weakened system, but it continues to bring torrential rain and powerful winds across the region.

The image illustrates the storm’s spiral structure as it moves northward, with bands of clouds spreading across the island and surrounding regions, causing significant weather disturbances.

Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration (CWA) has issued multiple advisories for heavy rain, especially in southern and eastern parts of the island.

Even though the typhoon has weakened, it remains a serious concern due to the heavy rainfall and risk of flooding and landslides across Taiwan.

Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration (CWA) has issued a series of Heavy Rain Advisories across Taiwan, with torrential rainfall expected to continue.

The advisories are in effect from Thursday morning through Friday morning.

Rainfall is affecting key areas like Keelung, Kaohsiung, Tainan, Taipei, Pingtung, and Hualien.

Typhoon Krathon made landfall near Kaohsiung earlier today, after lingering along the coast for two days and lashing the island throughout. Although weakened, the storm continues to bring significant rainfall across Taiwan.