Typhoon bears down on northern Taiwan

TAIPEI, Taiwan – Fast-moving Typhoon Mitag was bearing down on northern Taiwan on Monday, bringing high winds and heavy rain and forcing scores of flight cancellations.

Alerts were ordered for parts of the island’s east and north, including the capital, Taipei, with the worst of the weather expected to arrive overnight.

Classes were cancelled and government offices closed in Taipei and the surrounding areas of New Taipei City, Keelung, Yilan county, Taoyuan, and Hsinchu county. Similar orders were issued for islands off the east coast and ferry services were suspended.

All domestic flights were suspended by early afternoon and a total of 123 passenger and cargo flights from the island’s main international airport outside Taipei were cancelled, airport management reported.

The storm’s centre was expected to pass just east of the island before heading toward Shanghai on mainland China, then weaken as it moves toward South Korea and Japan.

Taiwan’s weather bureau said Mitag was strengthening gradually as it moved north at about 27 kilometres (17 miles) per hour with winds gusting up to 162 kph (100 mph).