At least 82 people have been injured as Super Typhoon Nepartak struck southern Taiwan on Friday morning. This comes after two people are confirmed to have drowned on Thursday as the storm approached.
Nepartak made landfall in Taitung on the southeast coast just before 6 am on Friday, causing widespread damage. Pictures from the scene have shown cars overturned and shop signs blown down by the strong winds. The reported injuries have been concentrated in the Taitung area. Most people were reportedly injured by falling glass or fell on the streets.
One person is confirmed to have drowned after being swept away from a beach in Hualien, further up the east coast, on Thursday afternoon. Also on Thursday, a member of the armed forces drowned in Lienchiang County in the Taiwan Strait, just off the coast of mainland China.
After making landfall, Nepartak proceeded westward, bringing heavy rain across southern Taiwan. The storm’s center passed into the Taiwan Strait around 2.30 pm local time, though the country is expected to continue to experience high winds and rain until late Friday evening. Close to 400,000 homes have been left without power at some point.
The typhoon, the first of the summer season, is forecast to hit Fujian Province in mainland China on Saturday.