Sawt Falasteen - Taiwan shuts down for second day as Typhoon Krathon to land

Krathon, packing sustained wind speeds of 126 kilometres (78 miles) per hour and gusts of up to 162 kph -- was 40 kilometres southwest of southern Kaohsiung at 8:00 am (0000 GMT), the Central Weather Administration (CWA).

"The centre of the typhoon is forecast to make landfall around noon, near southern Tainan, Kaohsiung or Pingtung. The time has been delayed as it's moving very slowly," forecaster Chang Chun-yao told AFP.

While CWA chief Cheng Chia-ping said Wednesday that the typhoon was expected to weaken rapidly after landing, residents of Kaohsiung -- where windows were shattered in some buildings -- were urged to take shelter.

"There will be winds of destructive force caused by typhoon in this area. Take shelter ASAP," the CWA said in a warning sent to residents' mobile phones Thursday.

Krathon has already unleashed torrential rain and powerful wind on the island, leaving at least two people dead, two missing and more than 100 injured, said the National Fire Agency.

A 70-year-old man was rushed to hospital on Tuesday after he fell while trimming trees in eastern Hualien county and died in hospital the next day.

And a 66-year-old man, hospitalised in nearby Taitung on Monday after his truck hit a huge rock that had fallen onto the road, also died Wednesday.

Krathon has disrupted traffic, causing all domestic flights to be suspended for a second day on Thursday, and cutting off power temporarily in nearly 55,000 homes, authorities said.

Taiwan is accustomed to frequent tropical storms from July to October, but experts say climate change has increased their intensity, leading to heavy rains, flash floods and strong gusts.

In July, Gaemi became the strongest typhoon to make landfall in Taiwan in eight years, killing at least 10 people, injuring hundreds, and triggering widespread flooding in Kaohsiung.

W.Mansour--SF-PST