Over 2 lakh people evacuated as typhoon Nepartak hits China

More than two lakh people were evacuated in China as typhoon Nepartak today lashed country’s eastern coast which witnessed powerful winds and heavy rains, prompting authorities to issue this year’s first red alert.

The first typhoon of the season landed at 1:45 PM (local time) in Fujian province’s Shishi city, packing winds of up to about 100 kms per hour.

Officials have evacuated about 2.30 lakh people from low lying areas and ordered 33,200 fishing boats to return to ports. Over 100 trains have been canceled this weekend and road traffic has been disrupted, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

China’s State Oceanic Administration (SOA) has issued this year’s first red alert, warning people of havoc due to Typhoon Nepartak which is approaching the Chinese coast.

The SOA estimated that sea waves as high as nine meters will emerge in Taiwan Strait, while coastal waters near Fujian province will see waves as high as six meters.

A red rainstorm alert has been issued in Putian city, which experienced more than 250 millimeters of precipitation in four hours early this morning.

Over 22,600 people have been dispatched to check the city’s water projects, local flood control headquarters said.

So far, 160 people were killed and 28 missing in heavy rains and floods in a number of provinces in the last few weeks ahead of the typhoon. In the worst hit province, Hubei, 69 people were killed and 16 more reported missing.

Typhoon Nepartak made first landfall early yesterday in eastern Taiwan, packing winds of up to 190 kms per hour gusting up to 234 kms per hour leaving two people dead and 72 injured.