Flights canceled, all train services suspended as Typhoon Gaemi approaches

Taipei, July 24 (CNA) Typhoon Gaemi forced the cancelation of 462 flights Wednesday morning, while the Taiwan Railways Administration announced the suspension of all train services from noon.

As of 10 a.m. Wednesday, 201 international and cross-Taiwan Strait flights and 261 domestic flights were canceled, and 14 flights were delayed, according to the Civil Aeronautics Administration.

China Airlines (CAL) and EVA Airways (EVA Air), the two largest international carriers in Taiwan, canceled over 70 flights, including some flights to and from South Korea's Incheon and Gimpo, Japan's Fukuoka, Indonesia's Jakarta, China's Shanghai, Hong Kong and Macau, as well as Palau.

Other carriers that have announced flight cancelations include Tigerair Taiwan, Cathay Pacific Airways, China Southern Airlines, Thai Vietjet Air and UNI Airways.

Meanwhile, the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) announced Wednesday that all its train services around Taiwan have been suspended from Wednesday noon to 12 a.m. Thursday.

Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) Corp. also announced it will suspend all its original train services from noon, but will run three northbound and three southbound trains every hour stopping at all stations.

As of 11 a.m., the eye of the typhoon was located about 160 kilometers southeast of Yilan in the east, moving west-northwest at a speed of 18-13 kilometers per hour, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA).

It was packing maximum sustained winds of up to 184 kph, with gusts of up to 227 kph.

Typhoon Gaemi, which will likely make landfall in Yilan and Hualien counties in the east at midnight on Wednesday, is expected to bring strong wind and heavy rain across Taiwan, the CWA said.