BEIJING: Typhoon Dolphin hit China’s eastern coast on Sunday evening after forcing over 300,000 people to pre-emptively relocate and Shanghai’s two airports to cancel more than 1,300 flights. The storm brought heavy rains to northern Taiwan the day before.
In the Philippines, five people were rescued and seven remained missing after a landslide that hit three houses in the northern mountain resort city of Baguio on Sunday. The landslide was set off by days of heavy monsoon rains, which had been intensified by Dolphin, officials said.
Dolphin hit the Chinese city of Taizhou in Zhejiang province and the northern parts of neighbouring Fujian province, bringing strong winds, estimated at 151 kph (93 mph) when it made landfall, and massive waves to the city’s coastline. Heavy rains have created a risk of severe flooding in Zhejiang, and authorities have warned of severe landslide risks.
Shanghai’s Hongqiao and Pudong airports cancelled about 60% of Sunday’s expected flights, according to the Paper, the city’s state media.
Forecasters in China predicted that areas could see 200-400 millimetres (7.9–15.7 inches) of rainfall over the next few days.
The outer bands of the storm on Saturday hit northern Taiwan, including the capital of Taipei, bringing rain. Some Taiwanese airlines also cancelled their flights to China on Sunday.
On Saturday evening, authorities in Zhejiang evacuated some 390,000 people in the city of Taizhou. Authorities in Shanghai evacuated more than 30,000 people from riskier areas.
Zhejiang authorities also suspended ferries and cruises.
Earlier in the Philippines, Dolphin helped intensify seasonal monsoon rains, which set off floods and landslides, including one that hit three houses on Sunday in Baguio.
Many areas of the main northern Luzon region, including the densely populated capital region of metropolitan Manila, were flooded, displacing more than 12,000 people and forcing several northern cities and towns to shut down schools on Friday and Saturday, disaster officials said Sunday.
The monsoon rains were preceded by a tropical storm, which left at least six people dead last week, including four villagers. They died in a landslide and a rockslide in the provinces of Benguet and Rizal in Luzon, Philippine officials said. - Japan News/ANN
