Taiwan evacuated more than 3,000 people and shuttered schools and offices on Tuesday ahead of Tropical Storm Fung-wong, which killed at least 18 and displaced over 1.4 mln in the Philippines after making landfall there Sunday.
Once a super typhoon, Fung-wong has weakened but remains dangerous. As of Tuesday morning, it packed sustained winds up to 108 kph (67 mph) and gusts of 137 kph (85 mph). Landfall is expected Wednesday afternoon or evening near Kaohsiung, with the storm forecast to cross the island and exit from the northeast by late Wednesday or early Thursday.
Authorities evacuated more than 3,300 residents across four counties and cities, including near Guangfu in Hualien, where September flooding caused a barrier lake to overflow, killing 18. Hualien and Yilan closed schools and offices, while land warnings were issued for Kaohsiung, Pingtung, Tainan and Taitung.
In the Philippines, the 1,800-km-wide storm triggered lethal landslides and flash floods across northern provinces. Over 803,000 people remain in 11,000 evacuation centers in Luzon, officials said, with children among the victims of multiple landslides.
China has activated emergency typhoon responses for Fujian, Guangdong, Zhejiang and Hainan as the system tracks north. The Philippines and Taiwan face numerous tropical systems each year, with Fung-wong underscoring the region’s vulnerability to severe storms.
Kursiv Uzbekistan also reports that Police in Delhi are investigating a car explosion that killed at least eight people and injured 20 under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the main law used in India to handle cases linked to terrorism and threats to national security.
