Taiwan is being battered by strong winds and rain from a typhoon that made landfall on Thursday. Taiwanese officials say that at least two people have been killed and one is missing. 490 are injured.
Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration says Typhoon Krathon made landfall on the southern city of Kaohsiung at 12:40 p.m. local time. It was later downgraded to a severe tropical storm.
Offices and schools were closed in all counties and cities across Taiwan for a second day on Thursday.
The storm has extensively disrupted rail and air traffic. High-speed rail services between Taipei in the north and Kaohsiung have been significantly reduced.
Krathon is likely to gradually weaken and become a tropical depression on Friday.
Weather officials in Japan say the storm could bring warning-level torrential rain to Okinawa’s main island and the Sakishima Islands through Friday. They are urging people in these regions to be on the alert for high waves, landslides and flooding in low-lying areas.