5 die as Fitow slams into China’s southeast coast
Print Edition
Typhoon Fitow slammed into southeastern China yesterday with powerful winds and heavy rains that killed at least five people, cut power, canceled flights and suspended high-speed train services.
Fitow struck Fuding City in Fujian Province with winds of up to 151 kilometers an hour in the early hours of yesterday, then slowed before weakening to a tropical storm, the National Meteorological Center said.
More than 750,000 people were evacuated and fishing boats called back to port after authorities issued a red alert — the highest warning — on Sunday as the typhoon approached.
The provincial flood relief agency in Zhejiang Province, which neighbors Fujian, said 574,000 people had been evacuated by Sunday evening and 35,800 vessels had returned to shore to take shelter.
About 100,000 visitors to Zhejiang had been evacuated as of yesterday, according to the provincial tourism bureau.
Some tourist attractions in Wenzhou, Taizhou, Ningbo and Zhoushan have been closed.
Fujian’s government said 177,000 people had been moved to safety and nearly 30,000 fishing boats called back to port.
Two people were killed in Zhejiang’s Wenzhou, including a 55-year-old man who was blown off a hill while heading out to help rescue a stranded fisherman.
Ni Wenlin, from Wenzhou’s Dongtou County, was with five others on the way to rescue a fisherman from a nearby port, the city’s flood control headquarters said.
Chen Wanjie, from Cangnan County in Wenzhou, died when his duck breeding factory collapsed and buried him.
Three other people from Ruian City in Zhejiang died after being electrocuted.
Four other people were reported missing in the province.
Two port workers were reported missing on Sunday evening and another two fishermen were said to be missing after they sailed out on Saturday afternoon.
The typhoon cut power in towns and counties in Zhejiang while high-speed rail services in the region were suspended.
The typhoon caused the suspension of at least 59 bullet trains in the province, including services between Ningbo and Xiamen.
Hangzhou International Airport canceled 22 flights yesterday, while Wenzhou Airport, another pivotal airport in Zhejiang, canceled 27 flights on Sunday and operations continued to be disrupted yesterday.
As of 6am yesterday, Fitow had affected over 3 million people in eight cities in Zhejiang, causing direct economic damage of 2.28 billion yuan (US$372 million), according to the provincial flood control office.
About 360,000 houses in Zhejiang and 130,000 in Fujian were without power yesterday.
In Fujian, direct economic losses were estimated at 19.06 billion yuan.
No deaths have been reported so far in the province, according to the local flood control office.
About 56 bullet trains and 20 flights were canceled in the province.
Between 8am on Saturday to 8am yesterday, Zhejiang saw rain of around 130 millimeters.
The highway linking Ningbo, Taizhou and Wenzhou was also partially closed.
Meanwhile, a total of 356 coach lines to Wenzhou and Fujian were canceled yesterday.
Fitow, along with the approaching Typhoon Danas, will continue to affect the province with more rainstorms forecast for today, officials said.
Fitow is the 23rd typhoon to have hit China this year.
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