Typhoon Champi Follow-up: 1 Dead and 163 Injured in Taiwan, More Than 2,600 Evacuated and Nearly 1,000 Flights Cancelled

TAIPEI — Typhoon Champi bore down on Taiwan on October 23, and Taiwan authorities have now released the first casualty and damage figures. According to Reuters' latest update, the storm has killed at least one person and injured 163 in Taiwan, with the injury figure revised down from 171; Taiwan authorities said 2,639 people had been evacuated from mountainous areas. When GSM first reported the storm earlier today, its centre was about 330 kilometres east of Taiwan's southern tip and more than 350 international flights had been cancelled; hours later, the centre had advanced to about 170 kilometres east of Taiwan, with gusts of around 191 kph (119 mph) near its centre.

According to Agence France-Presse, the person who died was swept away by waves whipped up by the typhoon; Euronews reported that it happened on Thursday on Liuqiu, an island off Taiwan's southwestern coast. Taipower said more than 77,000 homes across Taiwan had lost power, though electricity had already been restored to most.

On transport, Taiwan's transport ministry said all 262 domestic flights were cancelled for Friday, along with 717 international ones — 979 flights in total — while the north-south high-speed rail service was operating as usual. Taiwan's financial markets closed on Friday, and schools and offices were shut across Taiwan, with only Kinmen opening as normal. TSMC, the world's largest contract chipmaker, said its operations remained normal with no significant impact.

Liu Pei-teng, a forecaster at Taiwan's Central Weather Administration (CWA), told Reuters that Champi's wind radius was around 320 kilometres (200 miles), large enough to cover most of Taiwan, and that a direct landfall could not be ruled out if the storm stalls, loops or wobbles from side to side on approach. Forecasters expected nearly a metre (3 feet) of rain in northern mountain areas, including around Taipei, and coastal towns had received mobile phone alerts warning of gusts exceeding 150 kph (93 mph). Champi was forecast to pass just off northeastern Taiwan late on Friday, then turn north toward the Chinese coast and move into southern Japan, first passing over Yonaguni in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan's westernmost inhabited island.

In Yilan County in the northeast, where strong winds and heavy showers were intensifying, authorities distributed sandbags and put amphibious vehicles and inflatable rescue boats on standby. Lee Ming-chen, head of the port town of Suao, said the military would help with evacuations and disaster relief when necessary. In the northern port city of Keelung, boat owners hurried to secure their vessels; Liu Yu-en, an 18-year-old construction worker, said he was most worried about flooding, as Keelung has seen a lot of flooding this year. Taipei had squally showers on Friday, with public transport including the subway still running on a reduced service.

Champi formed near Micronesia on October 11 and strengthened into a super typhoon earlier this week, affecting Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands and disrupting parts of the U.S.-Japan Keen Sword joint exercise around Japan, as GSM has previously reported. Reuters noted that Taiwan is generally very well prepared for typhoons, which helps keep casualties low, and that while the storms are more common in summer, they can also strike in autumn.

Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)

Photo: 图：美国国家航空航天局（NASA）卫星于10月23日拍摄的台风「薔琵」：风暴中心位于台湾以东海面，庞大云系覆盖台湾及周边海域。影像取自 NASA Worldview（VIIRS），公共领域。Image: NASA satellite image of Typhoon Champi on Oct. 23, 2026, its centre east of Taiwan and its vast cloud shield covering Taiwan and surrounding waters. NASA Worldview (VIIRS), public domain.

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