Typhoon Champi Batters Taiwan Leaving One Dead and Hundreds Injured

Typhoon Champi battered Taiwan on October 24, leaving one person dead and over 500 injured as the powerful storm forced thousands of evacuations, canceled hundreds of flights, and knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of households before tracking north toward China and Japan.

One Dead and Hundreds Injured Across Taiwan

The storm killed one person, a man swept away by waves from the island of Liuqiu, according to Taiwan’s fire department. There were 527 people injured amid strong winds and torrential rain, while over 500 people have been injured since the government began issuing warnings.

Champi swept past Taiwan after briefly operating as a super typhoon and ranking among the strongest storms in the Pacific in 2026, packing maximum sustained wind speeds of nearly 300 kilometers per hour during its crossing. Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration reported center gusts reaching around 126 kilometers per hour on October 24, with coastal gusts hitting approximately 227 kilometers per hour that knocked down power lines and sent roof tiles flying.

Power Outages and Disrupted Travel

Taipower reported that more than 288,000 homes lost electricity at the height of the storm, though most households were later reconnected, leaving around 56,000 homes still without power on October 24. Transport authorities canceled 259 flights on October 24, which marked an improvement from nearly 1,000 cancellations recorded the previous day.

Forecasters recorded nearly 24 centimeters of rain in the western county of Miaoli, while the northeastern county of Yilan absorbed 65 centimeters of rain since Thursday. Northern and central Taiwan, including the capital city of Taipei, declared a second day of office and school closures as shops shuttered and residents weathered squally rain showers and downed trees.

Evacuations and Approaching China Coast

Authorities evacuated more than 5,000 people ahead of the storm’s arrival, while China’s emergency management ministry deployed a team to Zhejiang province as Champi approached the mainland. Authorities in Taizhou brought over 3,800 fishing boats back to harbor, evacuated 2,084 island visitors, halted 25 offshore construction projects, and suspended 18 passenger ferry routes. China’s state broadcaster warned of strong winds and heavy to torrential rainfall across Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang through October 25, prompting suspended train services and tens of thousands of evacuations in Shanghai alongside canceled flights and two reported injuries in Japan’s Okinawa prefecture.

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