The southern Hainan province evacuated over 400,000 people ahead of Super Typhoon Yagi's landfall, while tens of thousands prepared to seek shelter in neighbouring Vietnam from what is set to be the strongest storm to hit the region in over a decade.
Yagi killed at least 13 people in the Philippines earlier this week when it was still classified as a tropical storm, triggering floods and landslides on the country’s main island of Luzon before strengthening into a super typhoon over the past few days.
The storm made landfall in China yesterday along the coasts of Hainan – a popular holiday destination – and neighbouring Guangdong province, the state-run Xinhua news agency said, citing authorities.
The Water Resources Ministry on Thursday raised its emergency response to flooding in both provinces to the third-highest tier.
“Yagi is likely to be the strongest typhoon to hit China’s southern coast since 2014, making flood and prevention work very challenging,” Xinhua said, citing a meeting held by flood officials.
Authorities in Hainan have evacuated over 400,000 people on the island, the news agency said, citing local authorities.
After moving through southern China, Yagi will head towards Vietnam, on course to hit the northern and north-central regions around the famed Unesco heritage site Halong Bay.
Tens of thousands of people were evacuated to safer areas in Hai Phong and Thai Binh provinces yesterday, local authorities said. — AFP
