Taipei, September 4: The fierce typhoon Haikui blasted into Taiwan, leaving thousands of homes without electricity and injuring at least 44 people, according to officials.
According to CNN, the Central Weather Bureau, Haikui, the first typhoon to directly strike Taiwan in four years, made landfall at the southeast coastal township of Donghe at about 3:40 p.m. on Sunday. It then stormed across the island until departing at 8 p.m.
According to the Interior Ministry, at least 7,113 individuals were evacuated from 11 cities and counties.
As of Sunday night around 10 p.m., 48,506 homes without electricity, according to state energy supplier Taipower.
According to the Central Weather Bureau, the storm had gusts of up to 155 km/h (96 miles/hour) before it made landfall. It also dumped a lot of rain on Taipei, the country’s capital.
Additionally, it warned that the storm’s abundant rains might cause landslides and flash floods, according to CNN.
According to local media sources, 246 flights into and out of Taiwan on Sunday evening, mostly on internal or regional routes, were either delayed or cancelled.
