A hospital fire in southern Taiwan during Typhoon Krathon leaves nine dead, as the storm disrupts the island with severe flooding and winds.
A really sad fire broke out at a hospital in the south of Taiwan on Thursday, right when Typhoon Krathon was hitting hard.
The fire happened in Pingtung County, which was already dealing with the storm’s intense rain and strong winds that had knocked out a lot of the area.
At first, it looks like the people who died were caught in the smoke, but we’re still trying to figure out what started the fire.
Luckily, some soldiers were around and helped get the medical staff and firefighters out of the building.
They managed to get 176 people out quickly, using ambulances and tarps to keep them dry from the heavy rain, and they all found shelter nearby.
At least two people have died after Typhoon Krathon made landfall in Taiwan. The storm has brought 130mph winds and heavy rain.https://t.co/SasmB80ARm pic.twitter.com/FxBQCblZPE
— Sky News (@SkyNews) October 3, 2024
Typhoon Krathon hit the big port city of Kaohsiung with winds up to 126 kph (78 mph) and even stronger ones.
It’s been hanging around eastern and southern Taiwan for the last five days, forcing thousands to leave their homes and telling people to stay inside, especially when the storm was quiet for a bit.
The mix of flooding and strong winds has caused a lot of trouble for different businesses, like fishing and making chemicals, and messed up transportation and power services.
Even though Taiwan has been through a lot recently, they’re still working on making places like hospitals safer from fires, with rules about smoking and better building standards showing they’re getting better at dealing with disasters.