BEIJING: Typhoon Noul made landfall in southern China early Sunday, bringing powerful winds and torrential rain that forced the evacuation of more than 340,000 people, disrupted transport services and prompted emergency relief efforts in what authorities described as the strongest storm to hit the country this year.
The typhoon crossed the coast near Pinghai town in Guangdong Province, around 80 kilometres northeast of Hong Kong, at about 3:50am local time, according to state broadcaster CCTV. The storm packed maximum sustained winds of 162 kilometres per hour at landfall.
Authorities had suspended work, rail services and several public activities ahead of the storm, while hundreds of flights were cancelled or delayed. More than 350 passenger flights to and from Hong Kong were cancelled on Sunday as severe weather continued to affect the region.
In Guangdong, strong winds uprooted trees, scattered debris across roads and damaged public infrastructure. Provincial authorities raised the disaster relief emergency response to its second-highest level as rescue and recovery operations gathered pace.
Hong Kong downgraded its weather warning from Signal No. 9 to Signal No. 8 later on Sunday after the typhoon weakened inland. Officials said more than 100 reports of fallen trees had been received, while at least nine people were injured.
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The storm had earlier swept past the northern Philippines, where authorities reported three deaths, one person missing and damage to 235 houses. More than 9,300 residents were evacuated before the typhoon moved towards China.
China’s National Development and Reform Commission allocated 100 million yuan for emergency recovery and reconstruction efforts in Guangdong, including repairs to roads and other damaged infrastructure.
Forecasters warned that although Noul was weakening after landfall, heavy rainfall and strong winds were expected to spread inland across Jiangxi, Hunan and Hubei provinces, with rain forecast to continue until Tuesday.
