Typhoon Kong-rey hits Taiwan's east coast, leaving at least 1 dead

Scoot is contacting affected customers to re-accommodate them onto alternative flights, where available. Affected customers may also request for a full refund if they choose not to continue with their travel,

said a spokesperson in response to queries from CNA

Marilou Caycobatanes Governor

It's so, so powerful and we haven't seen the extent of the damage yet because the wind outside is still so strong,

Batanes Governor Marilou Cayco told The Associated Press by cellphone before the line was cut off

We do not expect significant impact to our operations,

it said in an emailed statement

It was terrifying last night. Many people on the island didn’t sleep, worrying about something happening to their house,

Sinan Rapongan, a government official on Lanyu, also known as Orchid Island, told Reuters

Lai Ching-tepresident

I hope that everyone in the country will cooperate in avoiding disaster and refraining from engaging in dangerous behavior such as wave watching during the typhoon,

President Lai Ching-te wrote on his Facebook page

The size of the storm is very large and the winds are high,

said CWA forecaster Gene Huang

With the typhoon approaching, we should beware of the strong winds near the centre,

Chu Mei-lin from the state weather forecaster, Central Weather Administration, told a briefing

As the typhoon continues to move towards the northwest, almost the whole of Taiwan will be covered by the storm circle later tonight,

meteorologist Chu Mei-lin, with the island’s weather agency, said in a press conference on Wednesday morning

We urge everyone to make preparations accordingly,

Chu warned

Its impact on all of Taiwan will be quite severe,

Chu Mei-lin from the Central Weather Administration warned

We are also handling incidents of falling signboards hitting people and fallen trees on the roads,

Wang told AFP

This typhoon feels very strong,

52-year-old office worker Kevin Lin told AFP

Super Typhoon Kong-rey is easily one of the largest eye's in a major tropical system you will ever see on Earth,

Bergren posted on X (formerly Twitter).

Based on the projected path of the typhoon, we advise Yilan, Hualien, and Taitung to take precautions against potential landslides and debris flows in areas expected to receive heavy rainfall,

Chang said

Of course I'm worried. All my assets are here,

a fisherman, who gave his name as Captain Chen, told AFP

It is very rare for a moderate or stronger typhoon to make landfall in late October. The last occurrence was the Typhoon Nock-ten in October 2004,

Chang told AFP

We must urge people to make preparations. It's a strong typhoon with a large size,

Chang added

I would like to urge my friends in the eastern, southern and northern parts of the country to be on alert,

he wrote on his Facebook page

Cho Jung-taipremier

This typhoon is moving fast and will bring strong winds and heavy rain,

Cho Jung-tai, Taiwan’s premier, said on Facebook