A typhoon that wreaked havoc on the northern Philippines is ripping through southern China.
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Seven people have been killed and 223 more were injured as a typhoon tore through south China’s Guangdong Province overnight, local media reported Monday.
Coastal provinces in southern China braced for a typhoon set to hit the country on Sunday, with authorities ordering fishing fleets to stay ashore and cancelling flights and rail services.
The typhoon gained power quickly before making landfall with winds as strong as 216 kph.
The tornadoes created by the storm smashed into houses and other infrastructure in two major cities, Guangzhou and Foshan, killing six people, Chinese state-run news agency Xinhua reported.
In Guangdong, there were more than 24,000 workers that were put on standby to deal with any power cuts caused by Typhoon Mujigae, and telecommunications blackouts have slowed the damage assessment reports.
By Monday morning, the typhoon had moved into the neighboring region of Guangxi and its high wind speed dropped to 54 kilometers (34 miles) per hour.
There have been more than 500 tourists that were stranded on Fangji island, and authorities began to evacuate them from the island on Saturday before they were being forced to halt the operation because of the strong winds. Meanwhile, in Guangxi, one person was killed by falling tree.
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It said almost 1.9 million people in Guangxi suffered losses from the typhoon and 417 homes were destroyed. “At least I have not seen in the last 30 years as a forecaster”, said Lin Liangxun, chief expert at the provincial meteorological station in Guangdong. Therefore, the remaining tourists were put up for free at local hotels to avoid being harmed by the typhoon.
