Taiwan mobilized nearly 40,000 troops Tuesday to bolster rescue efforts amid expectations the powerful Typhoon Krathon approaching its populous southwest coast would bring a storm surge and as the coast guard raced to locate 19 sailors who had abandoned ship due to bad weather.
Taiwan regularly gets hit by typhoons but they generally land along the mountainous and sparsely populated east coast that faces the Pacific. This one will make landfall on the island's flat western plain.
Krathon is forecast to hit the major port city of Kaohsiung on Wednesday morning, then work its way across the center of Taiwan heading northeast and cross out into the East China Sea, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said.
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