Typhoon Doksuri batters China in disaster affecting 130MILLION people

Typhoon Doksuri batters China: Terrifying storm sparks chaos as torrential downpours flood major cities in massive rain disaster affecting 130MILLION people

• Doksuri has now hit northern China and pummelling the Philippines and Taiwan
• Fuzhou, Putian and Xianyou reported the heaviest daily precipitation since 1961

China has been battered by Typhoon Doksuri, which sparked chaos with torrential downpours flooding major cities, affecting around 130 million people.  

Rain began to soak northern China on Saturday as Doksuri, one of the strongest storms to hit the country in years, rolled toward Beijing after pummelling the Philippines and Taiwan, and lashing China’s coast.

A broad area encompassing the capital faces medium to high risk of rainstorm disasters over the coming three days, China’s national forecaster said.

Cumulative rainfall of 100mm (four inches) or more is forecast over 220,000 square km (85,000 square miles), potentially affecting 130 million people.

Videos showed residents swimming for their lives as they donned lifejackets to traverse rainwater which had reached such high levels that cars were submerged and shop doors were almost completely covered. 

Rescue workers gave piggybacks to children and the elderly who had been trapped by the storm while people were forced to travel some flooded streets by dinghy instead of by car. 

Elsewhere, cars became stranded due to the depth of the water as a team effort was needed to push them to safety while the rain continued to lash down. 

Typhoon Doksuri has battered China with heavy rainfall. Pictured here: Rescuers use a tow truck to move trapped vehicles in a flooded street in Fuzhou

An aerial view shows floods in Fuzhou that left abandoned cars floating in the rainwater

Cyclists attempt to ride along a flooded street as cumulative rainfall of 100mm (four inches) or more is forecast over 220,000 square km (85,000 square miles), potentially affecting 130 million people

Bikes were left floating in the water as the heavy rain continued to fall on Saturday

Rescuers push a trapped car in a flooded street after the water became too deep to drive in

In Fuzhou, metro services were suspended on Saturday morning as subway stations remained waterlogged. 

The city, along with neighbouring cities Putian and Xianyou, reported the heaviest daily precipitation since 1961. 

READ MORE: Heavy rain and violent gusts of wind sweep China after bringing deadly landslides to the Philippines 

‘Doksuri’s intensity continues to weaken but the impact is far from over,’ the China Meteorological Administration said, warning the public to be vigilant and avoid high-risk areas in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region where localised rainfall could reach 600 mm (two feet).

Doksuri is the most powerful typhoon to hit China this year and the second-strongest to hit the southeastern province of Fujian since Typhoon Meranti in 2016. 

It made landfall on Friday, downing power lines and uprooting trees, affecting around 880,000 people in coastal Fujian with more than 354,400 people evacuated and resettled, and causing over 478 million yuan (£52million) in direct economic losses, state media reported.

In Doksuri’s wake, social media posts showed emergency workers clearing fallen trees and landslides, and people wading in thigh-high flood waters.

Other damage reported around Fujian province include a billboard ripped off a hotel building by winds in Putian city, a large tree falling over a man who was later rescued and a garment factory in port city Quanzhou catching fire.

In Jinan, in East China’s Shandong province, cars were blown over by the force of the winds and piled on top of one another in a heap.  

Rescuers use a tow truck to move trapped vehicles, while a subway is almost completely submerged with only the top of the stairs still visible

An aerial view taken from high above showed that every inch of tarmac along the road had been replaced by murky floodwater

Workers stand behind a flood protection barrier at the entrance of a restaurant

Rescuers use a rubber boat to transfer residents in a flooded street in Fuzhou

In Jinan, in East China’s Shandong province, cars were blown over by the force of the winds and piled on top of one another in a heap

The strong winds of the super typhoon dislodged even heavy cars and sent them spiralling in a heap

One car was left at a 45 degree angle after the typhoon knocked it onto its bonnet

Pedestrians holding umbrellas braved the outdoors in Fuzhou on Friday

Pedestrians were forced to wade through the floodwater in Fuzhou, with some taking their trousers off

Fuzhou (pictured), along with neighbouring cities Putian and Xianyou, reported the heaviest daily precipitation since 1961

Tow trucks move trapped vehicles in a flooded street – but were themselves struggling to get through

The powerful typhoon forced the closure of schools and businesses and the evacuation of workers from offshore oil and gas fields, state media said.

Over the weekend, small and medium-sized rivers in southern Beijing, central and western areas of Hebei, eastern parts of Shanxi and northern areas of Henan could swell above warning levels, while flash floods and geological hazards could occur around mountainous areas.

Beijing authorities suspended indoor and outdoor sports events and upgraded their flood control response.

Moving northwest and deeper inland, the storm weakened into a tropical depression in Anhui province early on Saturday at winds of 30 kph (20 miles per hour) but as its wind speeds continued to ease off, Doksuri’s centre became harder to determine.

The central province of Henan and Shandong in the east will experience heavy rainfall, the forecaster said, warning of mountain torrents, geological disasters and waterlogging.

Before hitting China, Doksuri roared through Taiwan and the northern Philippines, where rain and strong winds led to the capsize of a ferry in which at least 25 people died.

In the Fujian port city of Quanzhou, 39 people were reported to have suffered minor injuries, and more than 500,000 homes lost power.

In the Philippines, a week of stormy weather across the main island of Luzon caused 39 deaths, including 26 when a passenger ship capsized.

The typhoon is the most powerful to make landfall in China this year and second-strongest to hit southeastern Fujian province since Typhoon Meranti in 2016

A police officer walks through a flooded street caused by heavy rains after Typhoon Doksuri landfall in Xiamen on Friday

Rescuers evacuate residents in a flooded area after Typhoon Doksuri landfall in Quanzhou, in China’s eastern Fujian province

Typhoon Doksuri swept into Xiamen, in China’s eastern Fujian province earlier on Friday

A man negotiates neck-deep floodwaters in his village caused by Typhoon Doksuri in Laoag city, Ilocos Norte province, northern Philippines

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