A strong typhoon has left at least eight people dead after causing torrential rains in Taiwan and southeastern China.
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Earlier this week, super typhoon Meranti has claimed the lives of at least 10 people in China, Beijing authorities said on Friday, while one person has been reported killed and 38 injured in Taiwan.
The strongest typhoon that hit Fujian since records began in 1949 brought gales of up to 48 meters per second and also destroyed an 871-year-old heritage bridge in Yongchun County.
The typhoon, which earlier skirted the southern tip of Taiwan, made landfall in Xiamen early on Thursday, packing winds of around 170 kilometres per hour and bringing downpours across the province, the statement said.
Meteorologists with the NMC said heavy storms were coming and that sound management of traffic and tourist activities were needed to prevent secondary disasters.
The cities of Xiamen and Quanzhou are experiencing widespread power outages, flooding, disrupted water supplies, and fallen trees, according to AIR Worldwide. As of 11 a.m. Friday, six people in the province were killed, with another five missing.
Some 331,000 people were forced to relocate and direct economic losses of 1.7 billion yuan (USD 249 million) were estimated in the province, according to the local government. Over 600 rescuers are working in disaster-hit areas of Zhejiang.
Downpours will lash east China’s Jiangsu Province, Shanghai and Taiwan from Friday afternoon to Saturday afternoon, the National Meteorological Center forecasted, issuing a blue alert.
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Typhoon Meranti, which made landfall in Xiamen at about 3 a.m. on Thursday, caused about $250 million in damages – destroying 1,600 homes and damaging almost 55,000 acres of crops.
