Offices, schools to close again on Thursday due to typhoon

Taipei, Oct. 2 (CNA) Offices and schools will be closed in all cities and counties for the second consecutive day on Thursday following local government announcements on Wednesday night, as Typhoon Krathon continues to edge toward Taiwan's densely populated west coast.

Many private businesses and financial institutions, including Taiwan's stock market, will also be closed on Thursday.

In Chiayi, Tainan, Kaohsiung and Pingtung in the south and the eastern counties of Hualien and Taitung, Thursday's closures mark the third "typhoon day."

Places including Hualien have already been hit by heavy rainfall since Sunday evening, while landslides began disrupting rail services and road traffic on Monday.

On so-called typhoon days announced by local governments in response to powerful storms, many workers have the day off, in line with mandatory closures of certain government offices.

As of 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Krathon was located 110 kilometers to the southwest of Kaohsiung and was moving northeast at a speed of 9 kilometers per hour, CWA data showed.

It is forecast to make landfall on Thursday morning somewhere between Chiayi, Tainan and Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan, according to the CWA.

With a radius of 200 km, the storm was packing maximum sustained winds of 144 kph, with gusts of up to 180 kph, CWA data showed.

Heavy winds and rain brought by Typhoon Krathon have caused the death of one person, injured 70 others and left two people unaccounted for as of 3 p.m. on Wednesday, according to the Central Emergency Operation Center.

For more details on the current weather in Taiwan, please visit the Central Weather Administration website. 

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