Typhoons Hit Taiwan, Japan

As a killer typhoon left Japan, another one hit Taiwan Sunday morning, cutting power, shutting down airports, and causing a grisly car accident that left one dead.

In southern Taiwan, power outages in Taitung city and Pingtung county affected more than 3,000 homes, while authorities canceled flights, trains, and boats as the typhoon moved north at 17 mph.

Kai Tak came ashore packing winds of up to 93 mph, Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau said. The storm brushed Taipei before moving off the northern tip of the island and into the East China Sea with 81 mph winds.

In southern Pingtung county, one person died and five others were injured when their cars rammed into each other on a coastal highway. Officials said visibility was poor and the road slippery.

Airports in Taitung, as well as the outlying Green Island and Orchid Island, were closed. Highways near Taitung were strewn with soil, tree branches and leaves.

In the beach resort of Kenting, many residents and tourists ignored the official warning to stay indoors. They instead headed to the coast to watch the waves crash against the sea walls.

Early Sunday, Prime Minister Tang Fei urged extra caution.

The government has been particularly vigilant in handling natural calamities following the 7.6-magnitude quake last September that left 2,400 people dead.

Since Saturday, officials have been urging residents to evacuate the mountainous areas in central Taiwan which were struck by the earthquake.

Kai Tak was one of the two typhoons to strike the region this week, leaving dozens of people dead in the Philippines and Japan. At one point the Philippines was caught between the two storms, which hit almost simultaneously.

Typhoon Kirogi killed five people in Japan, including two 11-year-old boys who were found drowned Sunday in a water-filled ditch. They disappeared Saturday after going for a ride on their bicycles.

A 3-year-old boy also drowned outside Tokyo after falling into a swollen river near a park where he was playing.

The other Japanese victims were an 81-year-old man who drowned in a swollen canal and a 30-year-old man who was flung into an irrigation ditch after his car hit a guard rail.