Hanoi: Super Typhoon Yagi, Asia's most powerful storm in 2024 so far, made landfall in northern Vietnam on Saturday, according to the meteorological agency, after tearing through China's southern island of Hainan where it killed three people and injured dozens of people. Yagi was packing winds of up to 160 kmph near its centre when it hit Vietnam, having lost power from its peak of 234 kmph on Friday.
Vietnam's coastal city of Haiphong, an industrial hub with a population of 2 million that hosts factories from foreign multinationals and local carmaker VinFast, is so far among the hardest hit by the winds. Parts of the city experienced power outages on Saturday, according to authorities. The wind smashed buildings' glass windows and broke tree branches, according to a Reuters witness.
Before landing in Vietnam, strong winds felled a tree, killing a woman in the capital, Hanoi, local media said Saturday. Four airports were shuttered, including in Hanoi, and Haiphong. Hundreds of cruises were cancelled at the popular site of Quang Ninh before the typhoon landed and many moored boats were swept to the sea. Many roads in Quang Ninh have been submerged due to heavy rain.
Typhoon Yagi wreaks havoc in China
Formed over the warm seas east of the Philippines and following a similar path to Rammasun, Yagi arrived in China as a Category Four typhoon, ushering in winds strong enough to overturn vehicles, uproot trees and severely damage roads, bridges and buildings. After more than doubling in strength since killing 16 people in the northern Philippines earlier this week, Yagi slammed into the city of Wenchang on Hainan island.
The storm knocked down trees, flooded roads and cut power to more than 800,000 homes. In Fangchenggang City, Yagi has brought powerful winds and torrential rain, resulting in uprooted trees and significant disruption. In Guangdong, over 500,000 residents were relocated, most of them from Zhanjiang where the typhoon made its second landfall on Friday evening.
In Hainan, more than 400,000 residents were relocated before Typhoon Yagi arrived. At least three people were killed and almost 100 were injured as over 100 flights in the city were cancelled due to the typhoon. Trading on the stock market, bank services and schools were also halted.
What is Typhoon Yagi?
Yagi is the most severe storm to land in Hainan since 2014, when Typhoon Rammasun slammed into the island province as a Category Five tropical cyclone. It was registered as the world's second-most powerful tropical cyclone in 2024 so far after Hurricane Beryl. It is named after the Japanese word for goat and the constellation of Capricornus, a mythical creature that is half goat, half fish.
The typhoon had shut down schools, businesses and transport links in Hong Kong, Macau, and Guangdong as well as airports in Vietnam before landfall on Saturday. Vietnam's Civil Aviation Authority said four airports in the north, including Hanoi's Noi Bai International, would be closed on Saturday due to the storm.
Typhoons are becoming stronger, fuelled by warmer oceans, amid climate change, according to scientists. Last month, Typhoon Shanshan, touted as one of the worst storms to hit the region, made landfall in southwestern Japan, leaving seven people dead and widespread damage in several parts of the country.
(with inputs from agencies)
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