Beijing: Super Typhoon Yagi has pounded south China with heavy rain and gusty winds, leaving four people dead and 95 injured, authorities said Saturday.
Yagi, the 11th typhoon of the year, made landfall twice on Friday, first striking Hainan Province and later Guangdong Province.
In Hainan, a popular tourist destination, the storm uprooted trees, caused power outages and flooded roads.
Over 2,200 workers have been mobilized to restore power to more than 1.5 million affected households. By 7 a.m. Saturday, over one-fifth of affected households had been reconnected to the grid.
Road repairs are also underway, with 51 of 89 blocked main roads now cleared, Xinhua news agency reported.
High-speed rail services circling the island are expected to resume on Saturday afternoon, while ferry services across the Qiongzhou Strait are anticipated to restart by Sunday evening.
Haikou Meilan International Airport will remain closed until noon on Sunday due to the remnants of Typhoon Yagi. Sanya Phoenix International Airport began gradually resuming flights at 10 a.m. on Saturday.
Rescue teams are racing to restore communication networks after more than 12,500 base stations were damaged across Hainan, with Wenchang City suffering the worst disruption to communication facilities.
In Guangdong Province, Yagi had forced the relocation of 729,954 people by noon on Saturday, according to the provincial flood, drought and typhoon control authorities.
Since Thursday night, heavy rainfall has battered western Guangdong, with Xiaqiao Township recording the highest accumulated precipitation at 415.6 millimeters, according to the Guangdong Meteorological Service.
As the storm weakens, several cities have been resuming classes, work, transportation and other services since Saturday.
More than 34,400 rescue personnel have been devoted to disaster relief work in Zhanjiang, Yangjiang, Jiangmen and Maoming cities.
Forecasters expect rains and winds to subside from Saturday night, with scattered showers across the province from Monday to Tuesday.
Yagi has also wreaked havoc in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, forcing the evacuation of about 60,000 residents. As of 11 a.m. on Saturday, over 107,000 households remained without power.
Heavy rains lashed over 30 townships and strong gales affected more than 110 townships in the region, with Jiao’an Township recording the highest rainfall at 140.6 millimeters.
Authorities have issued flood alerts as water levels in several rivers continue to rise.
On Saturday morning, China’s National Meteorological Center renewed its red alert — its highest alert level — for Yagi.
It is expected to bring torrential rain to parts of Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi, Guangdong and Hainan from Saturday afternoon through Sunday afternoon.
–IANS
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