At 7:30 p.m. Friday in Taiwan (7:30 a.m. ET/11:30 UTC), the CEOC’s Champi tally stood at one death and 350 injuries; evacuation totals were also rising.
The earlier CEOC count listed 94 injuries. Central News Agency (CNA) reported that motorcycle and other traffic incidents accounted for 30 injured people in that tally; falls accounted for 16, while 10 people were hurt by falling billboards or roadside trees. Two Vietnamese nationals and one Indonesian national were among the injured. The CEOC said most injuries in the later report were minor abrasions or contusions, with Taichung, Changhua, Tainan and Kaohsiung recording the highest totals.
Evacuations increased from 1,286 by 8 a.m. Friday in Taiwan (8 p.m. ET Thursday/00:00 UTC Friday) to 4,372 by 8 p.m. Friday (8 a.m. ET/12:00 UTC). Focus Taiwan reported the earlier figure, while CNA carried the evening total.
The casualty and evacuation updates followed suspensions of work and classes in 21 of Taiwan’s 22 counties and cities as Champi approached.
The CEOC expected storm conditions to affect Taiwan through Saturday and advised people to keep clear of shorelines amid high waves. Its Friday evening outlook called for winds to weaken somewhat on Oct. 24 and waves to ease from the afternoon. Taiwan’s Executive Yuan had earlier warned that Champi’s circulation and a strengthening northeast monsoon could increase heavy-rain risks in northern and northeastern areas, including Yilan and Hualien.
