HONG KONG, October 31. /TASS/. At least one person is dead and 73 injured after Typhoon Kong-rey swept through Taiwan, according to the island’s disaster relief headquarters.

The largest typhoon since 1996, Kong-rey made landfall on the eastern coast of Taiwan around 1:40 p.m. local time (8:40 AM Moscow time) in the area of Taitung County. The authorities declared Thursday a non-working day, canceled classes at all schools, and put emergency services on high alert. In addition, over 500 flights and almost 140 ferry routes were canceled on the island.

Kong-rey formed in the western Pacific Ocean near the Philippines on October 25, and intensified to a typhoon on October 29.