In Keelung, enormous waves crashed against the shore, while emergency workers cleared fallen branches and debris from streets in the capital. One person was killed after being swept away by waves on Liuqiu island on Thursday, while 94 others were injured.
Schools and offices closed, while 931 flights were cancelled, including all 262 domestic services and 669 international flights. At Taipei’s Songshan Airport, departure counters stood empty and stranded passengers rested beneath screens displaying cancellations.
Champi had weakened from peak sustained winds of 298 km/h earlier in the week to 155 km/h as it approached Taiwan. Authorities evacuated nearly 1,300 people from vulnerable mountainous areas and urged coastal residents to stay indoors and avoid dangerous roads.
The storm’s centre was forecast to remain offshore before moving north towards Japan’s southwestern islands, where one person was injured and nearly 2,000 homes lost power on Ishigaki. The Philippines also suspended ferry services and flights in affected areas, while residents of Cagayan province were evacuated as a precaution.