Super Typhoon Yagi yesterday uprooted thousands of trees, swept ships and boats out to sea, and ripped roofs off houses in northern Vietnam, killing at least four people after leaving at least 23 dead through southern China and the Philippines.
The typhoon hit Hai Phong and Quang Ninh provinces, packing winds exceeding 149kph, the Vietnamese National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting said.
It described the typhoon as “one of the most powerful typhoons in the region over the past decade.”
Photo: AFP
The death toll from storm-related damage rose to four as roofing torn away by Yagi flew through the air, killing three residents of Quang Ninh, state media said.
A man in Hai Duong province was killed on Friday when a tree fell amid heavy winds as the storm approached landfall, while more than a dozen others, believed to be sailors on fishing boats, are missing.
In Hai Phong, streets were filled with fallen trees, metal roofing and broken signboards that had been ripped off properties.
“It has been years since I witnessed a typhoon this big,” said Tran Thi Hoa, a 48-year-old woman from Hai Phong.
“It was scary. I stayed indoors, after locking all my windows. However, the sound of the wind and the rain was unbelievable,” she said.
China Central Television said Yagi brought winds of more than 230kph, uprooting trees and prompting the evacuation of about 460,000 people.
At least three people were killed and 95 injured in southern China after the storm hit Hainan and Guangdong provinces on Friday, state-run Xinhua news agency said, citing local authorities.
Before hitting the mainland of Vietnam, the typhoon uprooted hundreds of trees on Co To island.
Several office buildings, schools and houses on the island, about 80km from mainland Quang Ninh, were unroofed by the powerful winds.
About 20,000 people had been evacuated and moved to higher ground in the north of Hai Phong, Thai Binh and Hanoi, local authorities said.
Many are being sheltered in schools, kindergartens and other public buildings.
Additional reporting by AP
Tropical Storm Usagi strengthened to a typhoon yesterday morning and remains on track to brush past southeastern Taiwan from tomorrow to Sunday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was approximately 950km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost point, the CWA said. It is expected to enter the Bashi Channel and then turn north, moving into waters southeast of Taiwan, it said. The agency said it could issue a sea warning in the early hours of today and a land warning in the afternoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was moving at
DISCONTENT: The CCP finds positive content about the lives of the Chinese living in Taiwan threatening, as such video could upset people in China, an expert said Chinese spouses of Taiwanese who make videos about their lives in Taiwan have been facing online threats from people in China, a source said yesterday. Some young Chinese spouses of Taiwanese make videos about their lives in Taiwan, often speaking favorably about their living conditions in the nation compared with those in China, the source said. However, the videos have caught the attention of Chinese officials, causing the spouses to come under attack by Beijing’s cyberarmy, they said. “People have been messing with the YouTube channels of these Chinese spouses and have been harassing their family members back in China,”
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said there are four weather systems in the western Pacific, with one likely to strengthen into a tropical storm and pose a threat to Taiwan. The nascent tropical storm would be named Usagi and would be the fourth storm in the western Pacific at the moment, along with Typhoon Yinxing and tropical storms Toraji and Manyi, the CWA said. It would be the first time that four tropical cyclones exist simultaneously in November, it added. Records from the meteorology agency showed that three tropical cyclones existed concurrently in January in 1968, 1991 and 1992.
UPDATED FORECAST: The warning covered areas of Pingtung County and Hengchun Peninsula, while a sea warning covering the southern Taiwan Strait was amended The Central Weather Administration (CWA) at 5:30pm yesterday issued a land warning for Typhoon Usagi as the storm approached Taiwan from the south after passing over the Philippines. As of 5pm, Usagi was 420km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost tip, with an average radius of 150km, the CWA said. The land warning covered areas of Pingtung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春), and came with an amended sea warning, updating a warning issued yesterday morning to cover the southern part of the Taiwan Strait. No local governments had announced any class or office closures as of press time last night. The typhoon
RSS