Two persons were killed and over half-a-million people evacuated as typhoon Fitow hit east China early today.
Typhoon Fitow hit China’s Fujian province in the wee hours, packing winds up to 151 km per hour, the National Meteorological Centre said.
One person died after strong wind blew him off a hill when he was on his way to rescue a fisherman in Dongtou county. Another person was killed in a separate incident in the same area, rescue headquarters said.
The storm is the 23rd typhoon to hit China this year. A red alert, the highest warning, was issued for Fitow yesterday.
Due to the typhoon, power was cut off in Taishun County, Zhejiang Province since last night. The power blackout also hit many townships in Cangnan, Wencheng, Pingyang and Dongtou counties in Zhejiang.
Mao Fanggui, director of the emergency office in Taishun county, told the state-run Xinhua news agency that downpour was lashing the county and most townships in the county were hit by blackout.
Rainstorm and winds up to 201 km per hour slashed Cangnan county and the Nanji Island township and some houses collapsed in the county, said the Wenzhou flood control headquarters.
So far, some 5.74 lakh people were evacuated and 35,795 vessels returned to harbour for shelter, said the Zhejiang Provincial Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters. In Fujian, 177,000 people were displaced and nearly 30,000 fishing boats were called back.
The typhoon has caused suspension of bullet trains in several cities in Zhejiang, Fujian and Jiangxi and halted services on at least 35 lines that pass cities on the typhoon route, including services between Beijing and Nanjing, Shanghai, Ningbo, Fuzhou and Xiamen.
Wenzhou Airport, a pivotal airport in Zhejiang province, cancelled 27 flights on Sunday, including flights to Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Kunming. Coach services between Shanghai and Wenzhou were also suspended yesterday.
Maritime authorities in Fujian and Zhejiang have closed seaside bathing centres and other entertainment facilities on the coast.