Typhoon Doksuri lashes China’s Fujian province after more than 400,000 evacuated

By Kathleen Magramo, Duarte Mendonca, Alex Stambaugh, Wayne Chang and Caolán Magee, CNN

Hong Kong (CNN) — Typhoon Doksuri made landfall in China’s southeastern coast and Taiwan on Friday, state weather agencies said, after the storm battered parts of the Philippines and killed at least 39 people, including dozens on an overcrowded boat that capsized in strong winds.

The typhoon slammed into China’s coastal Fujian province at around 10:00 a.m. local time, the National Meteorological Center said. More than 724,600 people were affected, while more than 416,000 in Fujian had already been evacuated, Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported.

The winds around the time of landfall were approaching 175 kilometers per hour (108 mph), according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center.

Across China, several coastal cities, such as Xiamen, Quanzhou and Zhangzhou, had temporarily shut businesses, factories, and schools as of Friday afternoon, Xinhua added.

The typhoon also caused power cuts in parts of Xiamen, according to the State Grid Xiamen Electric Power Supply Company, state media reported.

It is estimated that Doksuri has caused direct economic losses amounting to 52.27 million yuan ($7.3 million), state media said, citing the impact the storm has had on farmland.

Nearby Taiwan is still facing heavy rains from the storm, however the island’s weather agency removed its highest rainfall warning on Friday morning.

At least one person died and 68 people have been injured as a result of the typhoon, Taiwan’s Central Emergency Operation Center said in a briefing on Friday.

The torrential rain and strong winds brought down trees and power cuts affecting around 278,182 households, Taiwan’s official Central News Agency (CNA) reported citing the Taiwan Power Co.

Meanwhile, more than 200 domestic and international flights in Taiwan were delayed or canceled on Friday, according to the Civil Aeronautics Administration, CNA added.

Earlier this week, Doksuri lashed through the Philippines’ most populous island of Luzon, with the north of the archipelago most heavily affected.

At least 26 people died after a boat capsized on Thursday afternoon just yards from reaching Talim Island, southeast of the capital Manila, the coastguard said.

The vessel – only meant to have a capacity of 42 – had at least 66 people on board, according to the coast guard.

“Definitely we are going to file a complaint together with the PNP (Philippine National Police) against the captain and the operator of the motorboat,” coast guard spokesperson Rear Adm. Armand Balilo told CNN affiliate CNN Philippines.

Another 13 people were killed elsewhere in the country Doksuri, known as Egay in the Philippines, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said Friday.

The storm brought floods to five regions and triggered more than a dozen rain-induced landslides, the agency added.

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