Taiwan Issues Maritime Alert for Typhoon PrapiroonTaiwan issued a warning to ships on Monday as Typhoon Prapiroon approached the island's northern and eastern coasts, days after Typhoon Bilis lashed the island.At 2100 GMT, the moderate Typhoon Prapiroon was 750 km (469 miles) east-southeast of Taiwan's northern city of Taipei, the "Central" Weather Bureau said. The typhoon, with maximum sustained winds of 75 km (47 miles) per hour and gusts of up to 100 km (63 miles) per hour, was moving west-northwest towards Taiwan at an average speed of 18 km per hour (11 mph). The weather bureau warned ships sailing close to Taiwan's northern and eastern shores to take extra caution. Last week, Bilis, Asia's most powerful storm this year, killed 11 people and injured 110 in Taiwan. It weakened into a tropical storm before moving across Chinese mainland. Bilis caused T$4.147 billion (US$133.5 million) in losses to Taiwan's agricultural, fisheries and forestry industries, the Council of Agriculture said. |
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