Typhoon Doksuri destroys power lines, closes factories as it rips into China

By Bernard Orr and Yimou Lee

BEIJING/TAIPEI (Reuters) -Typhoon Doksuri swept into China’s southeastern Fujian province on Friday unleashing heavy rain and violent gusts of wind that whipped power lines sparking fires, uprooted trees and forced factories and shopping malls to shut.

The second strongest typhoon to land in Fujian after deadly Typhoon Meranti in 2016 forced the closure of schools, businesses and the evacuation of workers from offshore oil and gas fields, said state media.

Xiamen, Quanzhou and Putian recorded hourly rainfall exceeding 50 mm (2.165 inches), according to the China Meterological Administration (CMA).

“The whole of Xiamen didn’t go to work this morning,” a Xiamen resident surnamed Zhuang told Reuters.

“There are no cars on the roads, and factories and shopping malls are closed. Guess (NYSE:) people are scared after Meranti previously.”

Social media video showed eletrical power lines sparking and bursting into flames as winds thrashed Jinjiang, a city of two million, while in Quanzhou massive trees were uprooted.

There are power and water cuts in some areas of Jinjiang city and Quanzhou in Fujian province, residents told Reuters.

Doksuri, the second typhoon to make landfall in China in less than two weeks, will move north where 10 provinces will experience heavy rain, weather forecasters predict.

It is expected to continue to move in a north-westerly direction with gradually weakening intensity, China’s CMA said.

As it moves north, it will reach agricultural province Anhui, dumping rain on its developing corn, rice, soybean and cotton crops. Analysts say it should weaken by then but are watching closely for potential crop damage.

Typhoon Doksuri has already left a wake of death and destruction in its path as it moved from the Philippines across southern Taiwan.

The storm toppled trees and cut power to hundreds of thousands of homes in southern Taiwan, prompting authorities to shut business for a second day on Friday and warn of extreme winds, landslides and floods. Doksuri was categorised at the second-strongest typhoon level by Taiwan’s weather bureau.

A “hurricane-force-wind” alert was issued in the Taiwanese islands of Penghu and Kinmen, where residents were warned to brace for gusts of more than 155 kmh (96 mph).

The storm had cut power to more than 278,000 homes across Taiwan and downed hundreds of trees in Kaohsiung. Rainfall of more than 1 metre was recorded in the mountainous eastern and southern parts of the island.

More than 200 domestic and international flights were suspended or delayed on Friday and railway services between southern and eastern Taiwan were halted.

A ferry sank near the Philippine capital of Manila after passengers alarmed by strong winds rushed to one side of the boat, overturning it. As many as 36 people have been killed this week during Doksuri’s transit off the northern Philippines.

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