3 dead, 227 injured across Taiwan as Typhoon Gaemi nears

Taipei, July 24 (CNA) At least three people died and more than 220 were injured as Typhoon Gaemi continued to strengthen and approach Taiwan on Wednesday, bringing strong winds and heavy rain.

As of 10:40 p.m., two people had been killed and 227 injured in different parts of the country, according to the Central Emergency Operations Center (CEOC) and local authorities.

Update: Typhoon Gaemi causes 5 deaths, injures 531 (July 26)

Meanwhile, Wang Chin-sheng (王金生), chief of Wuliao ward in New Taipei's Sanxia District, was driving a mechanical excavator on an industrial road when the vehicle became overturned on a slippery road, according to New Taipei police.

Wang was pinned under the vehicle and later pronounced dead after being rushed to hospital, the local authorities said. As of press time, his death had not been included in the official CEOC figures.

The CEOC has warned that Gaemi's impact on the country will be most significant from Wednesday night, when the typhoon is expected to make landfall on the northeastern coast of Taiwan proper, through Thursday.

All 22 cities and counties around Taiwan have announced school and office closures for Thursday.

The two deaths compiled by the CEOC on Wednesday were reported in Hualien County and Kaohsiung's Fengshan District.

Earlier in the day, a 64-year-old woman surnamed Lu (盧) was hit by a falling tree when she was riding a scooter through Kaohsiung's Fengshan District, the Kaohsiung City Fire Department said.

She suffered an OHCA when emergency responders and paramedics rushed to the scene and was declared dead after resuscitation efforts failed, the fire department said.

In addition, Hualien County Fire Bureau reported in the evening that the parapet wall of a building on Hualien City's Chunghsing Road fell onto a car parked nearby.

Emergency responders and paramedics arriving at the site found two injured passengers in the car, including a 45-year-old woman who had suffered an OHCA and was later declared dead, and her severely injured and unconscious son.

According to the CEOC, 227 injuries have also been reported across the country.

In New Taipei, a 30-year-old man surnamed Chen (陳) was injured on his head and limbs after strong winds blew off the galvanized iron roof of his three-story house in Sanzhi District, local police said.

According to local police, strong winds blew off the galvanized iron roof of Chen's three-story house in Sanzhi District, leaving him with abrasions on his head and limbs.

In Kaohsiung's Sinsing District, a man surnamed Peng (彭) fell off his scooter after colliding with a fallen tree, resulting in multiple abrasions across his body, the district police precinct reported.

Across Taiwan, 8,569 people were temporarily relocated by local authorities as part of typhoon precautions, CEOC data indicated.

According to the Central Weather Administration, as of 11 p.m., the typhoon was located about 30 kilometers east-northeast of Hualien County, moving northwest at 12 km per hour (kph).

The storm, which continues to strengthen, was carrying maximum sustained winds of up to 184 kph, with gusts of up to 227 kph.

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