Weakened Typhoon Krathon slams into Taiwan, two dead

A weakened Typhoon Krathon slammed into southwestern Taiwan on Thursday, hitting the island with a storm that has killed two people so far and forced it to shut down a second day with hundreds of flights grounded and financial markets closed.

Krathon made landfall as a much weaker category 1 typhoon around mid-day at major port city Kaohsiung. The government, though, still warned people to stay at home given torrential rain, strong winds and storm surges coinciding with high tide.

Shortly after dawn, residents in Kaohsiung, a city of some 2.7 million people, began receiving texted warnings telling them to seek shelter from gusts of more than 160 kph.

Kaohsiung's port recorded gusts of more than 220 kph.

Taiwan's fire department reported two deaths as the approaching typhoon brought torrential rains across the island. Both fatalities were on the mountainous and sparsely populated east coast, one man falling while trimming a tree and another man whose vehicle was hit by a falling rock.

Parts of eastern Taiwan recorded rainfall of more than 1.6 metres bringing rocks and mud cascading down onto roads.

The typhoon is forecast to slowly work its way up Taiwan's flat western plain and weaken further into a tropical depression by late Friday before reaching the capital Taipei.

All domestic flights were cancelled for a second day, as well as 236 international ones. The north-south high speed rail line suspended services from central to southern Taiwan until early evening.