Taiwan hospital fire leaves at least 9 dead as typhoon batters island's south

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TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — A fire at a hospital in southern Taiwan killed at least nine people Thursday as the island was being battered by a typhoon.

The fire occurred in Pingtung county, which has been hit hard by Typhoon Krathon, which made landfall in the afternoon with torrential rains and heavy winds and has brought parts of the island to a standstill.

Those who died inhaled smoke from the fire, the source of which was still under investigation.

Soldiers from a nearby base were mobilized to aid medical workers and firefighters in the evacuation of patients and putting out the flames. Reports said 176 patients were rushed to the front entrance and transferred to ambulances or tarps, used to shield them from the pouring rain. They were moved to shelters nearby.

Krathon made landfall in the major port city of Kaohsiung, packing winds of 126 kph (78 mph) with higher gusts, according to Taiwan’s weather authorities.

The slow-moving typhoon has doused eastern and southern parts of the island over the past five days, forcing thousands to evacuate from mountainous or low-lying areas. The weather administration has Kaohsiung and Pingtung County residents to not go outside when the eye of the storm passes above their area.

Flooding and high winds have caused considerable damage to industries from fishing to to chemicals, while cutting off transportation routes and electrical networks. Taiwan has made considerable progress in fireproofing public facilities in recent years by banning smoking and boosting implimentation of building regulations.

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This version has corrected the spelling of Pingtung county.