Tropical Storm Danas Kills 2 in Taiwan, Injures Over 600 as It Approaches Eastern China

Residents look at the collapsed temple structures submerged in floodwaters (AP)

Tropical Storm Danas has left two people dead and more than 600 injured in Taiwan after unleashing record winds and torrential rainfall across the island. The storm is now on course to make landfall in eastern China, prompting widespread flash flood warnings and emergency preparations.

Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration reported that southern regions of the island were hit hardest on Sunday and Monday, with wind gusts reaching up to 220 kilometers per hour. The storm toppled over 650 electric poles, uprooted hundreds of trees, and caused extensive flooding in cities such as Tainan and Kaohsiung.

One fatality occurred in Tainan when a tree fell onto a vehicle, while another individual was killed by flying debris. More than 600 people sustained injuries during the storm, and emergency workers conducted rescue operations to assist those stranded in submerged streets and damaged buildings.

Several schools and businesses in southern Taiwan remained closed Monday due to severe power outages and transportation disruptions.

As Danas moves northwest across the South China Sea, Chinese meteorological authorities have recorded sustained winds near the storm’s center at approximately 80 kilometers per hour (50 mph). Landfall is expected near the port city of Taizhou in Zhejiang province on Tuesday morning.

Local maritime agencies have preemptively canceled over 100 passenger ferry voyages and halted construction activity at coastal sites. Forecasts indicate that the storm could bring between 100 to 250 millimeters of rain along a 650-kilometer corridor stretching from Fuzhou in Fujian province to Hangzhou in Zhejiang province. The intense rainfall has prompted widespread alerts for flash flooding and landslides.

This image made from a video provided by TVBS shows damaged billboard sign on a street after the Typhoon Danas landed in Tainan, Taiwan (AP)

Following landfall, Danas is expected to continue its path inland toward Jiangxi province—a mountainous area historically vulnerable to deadly mudslides and flooding during extreme weather.

In anticipation of the storm’s impact, authorities in Zhejiang, Fujian, and Jiangxi have mobilized emergency response teams and prepared evacuation shelters in high-risk areas.

Danas is the second major storm to strike China within three weeks. In late June, tropical cyclone Wutip brought heavy rains and flooding to parts of Guangdong and Hainan provinces, resulting in widespread damage to homes and agriculture.

Meteorologists and climate scientists warn that such extreme weather events are increasing in frequency and intensity due to global warming and shifting atmospheric patterns.