(Beijing) The super typhoon Yagi has left at least two dead and 92 injured on the tourist island of Hainan in southern China, according to an initial human toll announced Saturday by the official Xinhua news agency.
After bringing heavy rains and powerful wind gusts of over 230 km/h to China, Yagi is currently heading towards Vietnam. It could be the strongest storm to hit the region in a decade.
In Hainan, a total of 460,000 people have been evacuated as a precaution, according to state broadcaster CCTV, which released footage of extremely heavy rain and countless uprooted trees, some of which fell on cars.
In the neighbouring province of Guangdong (southern China), authorities said on Friday that they had already evacuated more than 574,000 residents to safe locations.
The airport in Haikou, the capital of Hainan in the north of the island, has cancelled all flights arriving or departing until 3 p.m. Saturday, according to CCTV.
The city was severely affected by YagiMuch of the road traffic was disrupted due to fallen trees, making driving dangerous for the few motorists who ventured onto the roads.
Sanya airport in the south of the island plans to resume normal operations on Saturday morning.
Hainan is popular with Chinese tourists for its sandy beaches and luxury hotels.
Wind and rain will remain strong in southern China on Saturday, CCTV reported.
In Beihai, a seaside town on the southern coast of China located on the Gulf of Tonkin where Yagi As the storm moves towards Vietnam, strong winds swept across beaches on Saturday, where no one ventured, according to images from the channel.
Supermarkets there have been closed for two days and people had been stocking up on supplies ahead of the typhoon, according to CCTV.