Taiwan issues typhoon warning as Hinnamnor nears

Taiwan on Friday issued a maritime typhoon warning as Hinnamnor moved near the island, the first such warning this year, said the island's meteorological agency.

At 8 am Friday, Hinnamnor was monitored to be centered at sea around 470 km to the east of the island's southernmost point and was moving northwest-turn-northward at about 11 km per hour, said the agency.

The intensity of the typhoon was monitored to have slightly weakened to a medium level but the radius of the storm tended to expand, according to the agency.

The approaching typhoon has brought continuing rainfall since Thursday evening. The meteorological agency said the precipitation is expected to relieve water supply shortages in northern parts of Taiwan, but also warned about risks such as landslides and rockfalls in mountainous areas.

Preparations for the typhoon have been made with passenger liner trips between the county of Taitung and two offshore islands canceled until Saturday, while fishing boats in Keelung and Yilan are laid up and secured in ports.