Taiwan hospital fire leaves at least 8 dead as typhoon batters island's south

Authorities report at least eight people have in a fire at a hospital in the island's south that is being battered by a typhoon

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- A fire at a hospital in southern Taiwan killed at least eight people on Thursday morning 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.

The deaths were attributed to smoke that arose from a source still under investigation. Dozens of other patients were evacuated and moved to shelters nearby.

Soldiers from a nearby base were mobilized to aid medical workers and firefighters in the evacuation of patients and putting out the flames.

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.

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This version has corrected the spelling of Pingtung county.