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Typhoon Doksuri rips into China

Bernard Orr and Yimou Lee (Reuters) (The Jakarta Post)
Beijing/Taipei, China
Sat, July 29, 2023 Published on Jul. 28, 2023 Published on 2023-07-28T20:01:13+07:00

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Typhoon Doksuri rips into China

T

yphoon Doksuri swept into China's southeastern Fujian province on Friday, unleashing heavy rain and violent gusts of wind that whipped power lines sparking fires, uprooted trees and forced factories and shopping malls to shut.

The second strongest typhoon to land in Fujian after deadly Typhoon Meranti in 2016 forced the closure of schools, businesses and the evacuation of workers from offshore oil and gas fields, said state media.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or fatalities, unlike Meranti when it caused at least 11 deaths after it made landfall near the port city of Xiamen.

Doksuri's wind speed was clocked at 137 kilometers per hour as of 1 p.m local time, according to the National Meteorological Center.

Hourly rainfall in Xiamen, Quanzhou and Putian exceeded 50 millimeters, according to the China Meteorological Administration (CMA).

"The whole of Xiamen didn't go to work this morning," a Xiamen resident surnamed Zhuang told Reuters.

"There are no cars on the roads, and factories and shopping malls are closed. Guess people are scared after Meranti previously."

Social media video showed electrical power lines sparking and bursting into flames as winds thrashed Jinjiang, a city of 2 million, while in Quanzhou massive trees were uprooted and left in the middle of roads.

A woman's voice in the background of one video shouted, "so many fallen trees. Some are broken down. It is a mess. This is too much. It is horrible."

Social media videos showed strong winds blowing a large incense burner across the ground at a temple in Jianjiang and residents made makeshift barriers at doors to stop rain from flooding into apartments.

Power and water cuts were experienced in some areas of Jinjiang and Quanzhou, residents told Reuters.

Doksuri, the second typhoon to make landfall in China in less than two weeks, will move north where 10 provinces will experience heavy rain, weather forecasters predict.

It is expected to continue to move in a north-westerly direction with gradually weakening intensity, China's CMA said.

As it moves north, it will reach agricultural province Anhui, dumping rain on its developing corn, rice, soybean and cotton crops. Analysts say it should weaken by then but are watching closely for potential crop damage.

Typhoon Doksuri has already left a wake of death and destruction in its path as it moved from the Philippines across southern Taiwan.

The storm toppled trees and cut power to hundreds of thousands of homes in southern Taiwan, prompting authorities to shut business for a second day on Friday and warn of extreme winds, landslides and floods. Doksuri was categorized at the second-strongest typhoon level by Taiwan's weather bureau.

A "hurricane-force-wind" alert was issued in the Taiwanese islands of Penghu and Kinmen, where residents were warned to brace for gusts of more than 155 kph.

The storm had cut power to more than 278,000 homes across Taiwan and downed hundreds of trees in Kaohsiung. Rainfall of more than 1 meter was recorded in the mountainous eastern and southern parts of the island.

More than 200 domestic and international flights were suspended or delayed on Friday and railway services between southern and eastern Taiwan were halted.

A ferry sank near the Philippine capital of Manila after passengers alarmed by strong winds rushed to one side of the boat, overturning it.

The Philippine coast guard said on Friday it will investigate why the passenger boat that capsized, killing at least 26, was allowed to sail while overloaded.

Authorities rescued 40 people on Thursday after the vessel sank in strong winds, meaning it was carrying many more passengers than it was designed for, the coast guard said.

"We have called for investigation already, including on our personnel," coast guard spokesperson Armand Balilo told CNN Philippines television, adding that complaints would be filed against the boat's captain and operator.

The vessel was designed for roughly 40 passengers but it remains unclear how many people were allowed to board. The manifest showed only 22 names, the coast guard said.

Search and rescue, and retrieval operations are ongoing, Balilo said.

It is the second-deadliest in the Southeast Asian nation this year, after 33 people died in a ferry fire in the southern Philippines in March.

The country has a patchy record for maritime safety, with vessels at times sailing while overcrowded and many aging ships still in use.

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