Typhoon Gaemi kills 8 in Taiwan, injures over 800

At least eight people have died in Taiwan since Wednesday after Typhoon Gaemi strengthened.

Taipei: Typhoon Gaemi has intensified since Wednesday and has claimed at least eight lives in Taiwan, Focus Taiwan reported, citing the Central Emergency Operations Center (CEOC). One person is missing and as many as 866 people were injured during and after the typhoon’s passage through the country.

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The typhoon has already left Taiwan and weakened to a tropical storm. It has now reached China, but central and southern Taiwan could still receive significant rainfall, Focus Taiwan reported.

The victims include a 64-year-old motorcyclist who was killed after being hit by a falling tree in Kaohsiung; a 44-year-old woman who was killed by a collapsed roof wall in Hualien County; and a 78-year-old man who was killed in a landslide in Kaohsiung.

In addition, a 65-year-old man fell to the ground while doing repairs at home and later died in a hospital in Tainan, Focus Taiwan reported.

A 75-year-old scooter rider crashed into a fallen tree and fell to the ground. He was rushed to a hospital in Yulin County, where doctors were unable to revive him.

According to the CEOC, two bodies were found in flooded fields at two different locations in Shiushang Township, Chiayi County.

However, they have not yet been identified and the cases are still under investigation, Focus Taiwan reports.

In Chiayi County, an employee of the Alishan Forest Railway was found without signs of life in his car, hit by falling rocks. He was taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Meanwhile, authorities are still searching for a 67-year-old man surnamed Kuo who reportedly fell into a culvert in Fanlu Township, Chiayi County.

In addition, 866 people were injured by the typhoon, the center said.

The highest number of injuries (259) was reported in Kaohsiung, followed by 125 in Tainan and 120 in Taichung.

As stated by the CEOC, a network of 279 shelters was hastily set up to protect the 1,232 people displaced by the typhoon. To add to the chaos, Taiwanese emergency services received distress signals from nine ships at sea, which were endangered by the extreme weather conditions, as reported by Focus Taiwan. A warning to residents in the eastern and southern regions of Taiwan: sporadic showers and even thunderstorms remain a possibility, with the potential threat of more torrential rains on the horizon.