Taiwan braces oncoming typhoon Krosa
Forecasters in Taiwan are urging ships and fishing boats in the vicinity to come to shore as powerful typhoon Krosa heads towards the island.
Krosa, which means crane in Khmer (Cambodian), is 295 miles (470km) off the coast of Taiwan and has sustained wind speeds of 114 mph (184 km/h) and gusts of up to 140 mph (227 km/h). The category 4 storm is moving at 15 mph in a northwest direction and currently has a radius of about 155 miles (250 kilometres).
Authorities have warned the residents of Taiwan, especially towards the north of the island, to expect high waves and torrential rain that could cause landslides. Further updates on Krosa will appear here.
On Wednesday, typhoon Lekima struck the central coast of Vietnam killing at least 10 and injuring dozens of others. Lekima damaged around 77,000 homes, caused flooding and landslides and severely disrupted transport. Over 36,000 hectares of rice and other crops have been ruined along with damage to telecoms and power networks. Lekima moved further inland to affect Laos and northern Thailand where it weakened into a depression.
The 2007 typhoon season has been particularly active recently, with Krosa being the 15th named storm of the season. The typhoons gather strength from the warm waters of the Pacific or the South China Sea before weakening as they hit land.
