Taiwan hospital fire leaves 9 dead as typhoon batters island's south

TAIPEI, Taiwan: Even as a typhoon was battering southern Taiwan, a fire broke out in a hospital killing at least nine people this week.

The fire occurred in Pingtung County, already reeling from the impact of Typhoon Krathon, which made landfall in the afternoon. The typhoon's torrential rains and fierce winds brought much of the island to a standstill.

The victims who died at the hospital had inhaled smo