A super typhoon, the strongest to threaten China in half a century, slammed into the south-east coast on Thursday killing at least two people, injuring more than 80 and forcing hundreds of thousands from their homes.
Typhoon Saomai, one of three storms to hit East Asia in the past few days, made landfall in Zhejiang province, hitting Cangnan county just after officials there declared a state of emergency, Xinhua news agency said.
It destroyed more than 1 000 houses, plunged almost all the county into darkness and knocked out nearly half of local communication links.
The storm, the eighth to hit China this year, injured more than 80 people, the report said, quoting local sources.
Neighbouring Fujian province reported two deaths in the city of Fuding and 12 people missing at sea after two Taiwan boats capsized near the harbour and a Fujianese fishing boat hit a reef, Xinhua said.
About 20 000ha of rice fields had been inundated.
”And 30mm of rain fell in the space of just one hour,” Xinhua said, as an unrelated thunderstorm lashed the northern capital of Beijing.
Storm tracker Tropical Storm Risk had graded Saomai a category five ”super” typhoon — its highest category — but reduced that to category four once it came ashore.
It landed with a wind velocity of 216kph, and was more powerful than a typhoon that hit Zhejiang in August 1956 and triggered a tsunami that killed more than 3 000, Xinhua said.
Saomai had not caused a similar surge, but would move further inland at about 20kph.
Emergency
The greater Wenzhou area, which includes Cangnan and is home to 7,4-million people, has declared a state of emergency and authorities have blocked highways into the worst-affected areas.
Factories, shops and offices had been ordered to stop all activities ”unrelated to battling the typhoon”, state media said.
Residents reinforced windows and doors against the storm and stockpiled drinking water and food, while those with flimsier homes headed to schools, theatres and stadiums to take shelter.
State television showed lines of makeshift beds lined up beneath blackboards, with temporary refugees eating nearby.
Wenzhou airport had closed and hundreds of passengers were stranded, one airport manager said.
Xinhua reported that Zhejiang authorities had already evacuated nearly one million people, with another 569 000 people moved in the neighbouring province of Fujian.
Much of south China has been repeatedly battered by typhoons and tropical storms this year. Hundreds have been killed by rainstorms, mudslides and floods.
Tropical storm Bilis killed more than 600 in China last month and typhoon Prapiroon killed about 80 last week.
Tropical storm Bopha fizzled to the south of Taiwan this week and another veered towards the east of Japan. — Reuters