TAIPEI – Super Typhoon Nepartak lashed Taiwan with powerful winds and torrential rain as it made landfall early Friday, forcing thousands to evacuate their homes as the island cancelled hundreds of flights and shut offices and schools for the day.

Packing gusts of up to 234 kilometres per hour (145 miles per hour), it landed at Taimali township in eastern Taitung county shortly before 6:00 am (2200 GMT Thursday).

One man drowned off a beach in Hualien county Thursday, according to an official tally.

Nearly 9,000 people have been moved from their homes which were prone to landslides or flooding and about 1,800 of them were in shelters.

As many as 97,000 households lost power due to the storm, with more than 70,000 still without electricity as of Friday morning.

The government said financial markets, schools and offices would all be closed Friday.

Most scheduled domestic flights were cancelled while 365 international flights were affected, Taipei’s two main airports said.

The railway will be closed for most of the day.

Taiwan’s Central Weather Bureau said the storm had weakened slightly after making landfall but would continue to dump torrential rain across the island for much of Friday.

The storm had a radius of 200 kilometres and was moving at a speed of 11 kilometres an hour.

“It is expected the strength of this typhoon will continue to weaken and slow down in speed,” the weather bureau said.

It is forecast to hit southern China after battering Taiwan.

Last year Super Typhoon Dujuan killed three people and left more than 300 injured in Taiwan, leaving a trail of destruction.

In 2009, Typhoon Morakot devastated the island, killing more than 600 people, most of them buried in huge landslides in the south.

WASHINGTON – The United States on Thursday urged respect for a decision on territorial disputes in the South China Sea set to be handed down by an international arbitration court next week.

The Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Dutch city of The Hague is set to make its final decision on Tuesday in the case between the Philippines and China.

“We urge both parties to comply with the ruling and urge all claimants to avoid provocative actions or statements,” Abraham Denmark, the senior Pentagon official responsible for East Asia, told a congressional hearing about the decision, already rejected in advance by Beijing.

China claims almost the entire sea – strategically important for world maritime trade – where the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have claims.

Although Washington is not directly part of the territorial disputes, it has urged they be resolved through diplomacy, not Chinese force.

Beijing has artificially enlarged islets and reefs to build runways, ports and other installations to legitimize its claims.

Taiwan president visits disputed Taiping island in Spratly archipelago at South China Sea

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Reuters, AFP, Digital Globe

The United States has meanwhile boosted its military presence in the region, addressing neighboring countries’ concerns about China’s actions. Washington has also strengthened its defense alliances with the Philippines, Vietnam and other countries.

The aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan is currently patrolling the sea.

“We will provide critical support for diplomacy by providing a credible deterrent against the use of force,” Denmark said.

Chinese media on Tuesday said Beijing is ready for a “military confrontation” with the United States in the region.

The new Philippine president, Rodrigo Duterte, earlier this week proposed dialogue with China following the court’s decision next week, offering discussions about issues such as setting up joint ventures for sharing resources in the disputed waterway.

TAIPEI, Taiwan – Up to 21 people were injured in an explosion on Train 1258 operated by the Taiwan Railway Administration at around 10 p.m. Thursday night near Songshan Station.

A fire broke out following the explosion that occurred in the train’s sixth carriage. The fire was quickly put out, but only after multiple passengers sustained burn injuries. Two windows were also shattered, while some passengers sustained flesh injuries.

The explosion is suspected to have been caused by pre-made explosives. A 20-centimeter-long firecracker was found at the scene. The exact cause of the explosion was still under investigation as of press time.

Up to 11 ambulances were dispatched to take victims to the Tri-Service General Hospital and other local hospitals.

Among the police officers who rushed to the scene was Chen Kuo-en, director-general of the National Police Agency, to obtain a better grasp of one of the most gruesome accidents in recent years in Taiwan.

The Executive Yuan was immediately informed of the news, and Premier Lin Chuan has ordered speedy response measures in the wake of the accident.

After the accident, Train 1262 was called upon to transport the train’s passengers.

Both the National Police Agency and the Criminal Investigation Bureau are taking charge of the investigation.