Eastern China on alert as Typhoon Doksuri makes landfall in Fujian
- Air, maritime and rail services suspended as storm hits with winds of up to 180km/h
- Weather authorities urge the public to exercise caution as it moves northwest
Doksuri, the highest-level super typhoon this year, hit the city of Jinjiang in Fujian province at 9.55am, with winds of up to 180km/h (112mph).
It is the second-strongest storm to make fall in Fujian, after Typhoon Meranti in 2016, which killed at least 11 people.
Transport in the province has been on the highest alert level in Fujian since Thursday, with flights and ferry traffic suspended. Railway services in Xiamen, Zhangzhou and Quanzhou were also halted.
The strong winds uprooted trees and toppled roofs in a number of cities, according to videos circulating on Chinese social media.
“In the morning, Xiamen was battered by heavy wind and rain. Sometimes the wind was so strong that I had to hold on to the railings to stand still,” a Xiamen resident wrote online.
“The boats in the shelter also … swung violently.”
The storm forced closure of businesses, factories, schools and scenic spots, as well as the evacuation of 416,800 people in the province, state agency China News Service reported.
Quanzhou municipal flood control authorities said 114 people had been injured in the typhoon by 1.30pm, with power cut to more than 500,000 households.
The authorities received 1,132 emergency calls and sent 287 crews to repair infrastructure and aid residents trapped by landslides and floods.
Passenger ships and fishing boats have also been recalled to port in parts of coastal Zhejiang province north of Fujian.
At around 3pm, the eastern agricultural province of Shandong began to feel the storm’s impact. Agricultural authorities in Weifang issued a warning about the threat of crop damage.
02:23
Capsized boat in Philippines leaves dozens dead in the wake of super typhoon Doksuri
Doksuri is expected to move northwest after landing and weaken gradually, bringing torrential rain to more than 10 provinces along the country’s east coast in the next few days.
“The rainfall in Hebei, Beijing, Tianjin, Henan and other places is extreme, and the risk of disasters is high. The public needs to pay more attention, be vigilant, and stay away from areas with high risk of weather disasters,” the China Meteorological Administration said.
At 3pm, Doksuri had weakened from a super typhoon to a typhoon and was expected to move northwest at about 30km/h. Doksuri is expected to enter Jiangxi province on Saturday morning.
China is in the midst of typhoon season. Before Doksuri landed, Tropical Storm Khanun had intensified and was forecast to reach typhoon intensity this weekend.
If it does become a typhoon, it will be the sixth this year.
