As of Wednesday afternoon, Typhoon Kong-rey had maximum sustained winds of 130 mph, according to the website Zoom Earth. The storm has weakened slightly since Tuesday night, when

Heavy rains and high winds lashed Taiwan on Thursday as the largest storm to hit the island in nearly three decades made landfall along its southeast coast, killing at least one person and injuring dozens.

The storm prompted closures and raised the risk of landslides as it approached the island. It was expected to hit as the equivalent of a Category 4 hurricane.

A ride-hailing driver has recounted how he had narrow escape when a huge tree smashed onto his vehicle as Typhoon Kong-rey swept over Taiwan, also sweeping away metal roofs and sending landslides onto roads and into houses.

Classes and offices have been closed in Taiwan as a powerful typhoon approaches, bringing high winds and floods to much of the island's east coast.

Taiwan cleared up and offices and financial markets re-opened on Friday after the powerful Typhoon Kong-rey swept through the island causing two deaths and snarling transport, as the remnant of the storm brushed the Chinese coast.

This picture provided by the Hualien County Fire Department via Taiwan's Central News Agency (CNA) on October 31, 2024 shows a firefighter beside a roof blown away due to strong winds and rain from Super Typhoon Kong-rey in Hualien County.

A Super Typhoon is headed towards the island nation of Taiwan and intensifying prior to impact, according to reports.

Fierce winds and torrential rain lashed Taiwan on Thursday as Super Typhoon Kong-rey neared, forcing thousands to flee from one of the most powerful storms to threaten the island in years.

Typhoon Kong-rey, the biggest typhoon to directly hit Taiwan in nearly 30 years, has made landfall on the island's eastern coast. Schools and workplaces across Taiwan were closed on Thursday and supermarkets were stripped bare, as millions of residents braced for the storm which hit at about 13:40 local time (04:40 GMT).