Typhoon Danas makes landfall in Taiwan, leaving 2 dead and hundreds injured

TAIPEI, July 7 (Xinhua) -- Typhoon Danas made landfall in Taiwan late Sunday night and exited to sea early Monday morning, leaving two people dead and 334 injured, according to Taiwan media.

Danas has caused power outages in over 660,000 households and led to class and work suspensions in more than 10 counties and cities, said local authorities.

Danas was centered about 130 km north of Taipei as of Monday noon, with the maximum wind speed near the center around 90 km per hour, the local meteorological authority said, adding that while the main island of Taiwan is now outside the typhoon's storm circle, the northern coastal waters remain under threat.

With a rare track that brushed the island's densely populated west coast, Danas became the first typhoon to make landfall in Chiayi in 120 years.

As of 8 a.m. Monday, the typhoon had caused a total of 2,270 incidents of damage, most involving basic infrastructure and fallen trees in Tainan, Chiayi, Kaohsiung and Yunlin, according to the local disaster response center.

As of 10 a.m. Monday, the island had cancelled 176 flights, the region's aviation authority said, adding that flights are expected to resume gradually in the afternoon.

Due to the influence of the typhoon's outer circulation, heavy to torrential rain is still expected in Tainan, Kaohsiung and Pingtung on Monday. The meteorological authority reminded the public to stay away from mountainous areas to prevent accidents.