Typhoon Danas outer band touches southern Taiwan, rain intensifies

Taipei, July 6 (CNA) The rain and wind in southern Taiwan and the outlying Pengu County were intensifying Sunday night as the outer band of Typhoon Danas reached those areas, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA).

As of 9 p.m., the eye of the typhoon was located 70 kilometers south southeast of Penghu and was moving north-northeast at 35 kilometers per hour but was expected to slow to 15 kph.

It was packing maximum sustained winds of 137 kph near its center, with gusts of up to 173 kph, according to the CWA.

The CWA said the typhoon may make landfall in central Taiwan late Sunday night.

Due to the typhoon, 15 ferry routes totaling 124 trips between Taiwan and its outlying islands have been canceled for Monday, in addition to 145 trips on 14 routes already canceled on Sunday, the Maritime and Port Bureau said.

Meanwhile, all domestic flights in Taiwan scheduled for Monday morning have been canceled, while several international flights have been canceled or rescheduled.

Traffic disruptions on Sunday and those planned for Monday have left thousands stranded on outlying islands, including over 9,000 in Penghu, around 2,000 in Matsu, 536 on Green Island, and 78 on Orchid Island, according to local authorities.

Local governments of Penghu and Matsu said they will coordinate with airlines or ferry operators to add extra flights or trips to evacuate the travelers. They may even request the Air Force to dispatch military aircraft for assistance.

According to Taiwan Power Company (Taipower), 22,728 households had experienced power outages due to the typhoon as of 8 p.m.

Of these, 17,022 were in Kaohsiung, 4,316 were in Pingtung County, 520 were in Chiayi County, and 434 were in Keelung City, with additional outages reported in Yunlin County, Tainan, and Taipei.

Among those households, 4,772 in Kaohsiung, 358 in Chiayi County, 146 in Tainan and 10 in Yunlin County had not had their power restored as of 8 p.m., according to Taipower.