Typhoon Kong-rey makes landfall in Taiwan, kills 1 and hundreds injured [Video]

TAIPEI, Taiwan –

A powerful typhoon made landfall in Taiwan on Thursday, killing one person and bringing high winds and floods to much of the island’s east coast and northern areas, after barrelling past the northern Philippines.

Flights and train service were suspended in Taiwan and 8,600 people moved to shelters.

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Typhoon Kong-rey was blowing at 184 kilometres (114 miles) per hour with gusts of up to 227 km/h (141 mph) as it moved over the eastern county of Taitung. Parts of Yilan and Hualien counties were inundated by heavy rain, but many farmers in the largely rural areas had already brought in their crops in anticipation of damage from the storm.

Kong-rey weakened to 144 kilometres (89 miles) per hour as of Thursday night, according to Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration, and the center of the storm moved off the main island. It is expected to move northeast and will hit Taiwan’s outlying …