Super Typhoon Yagi hits southern China, leaving 4 dead and 95 injured

Super Typhoon Yagi has hit southern China with heavy rains and gusty winds, killing four people and injuring 95, authorities said on Saturday.

Yagi, the eleventh typhoon of the year, made landfall twice on Friday, first hitting Hainan province and later Guangdong province.

In Hainan, a popular tourist destination, the storm uprooted trees, caused power outages and flooded streets.

Over 2,200 workers were deployed to restore power to more than 1.5 million affected households. By 7am Saturday morning, over a fifth of the affected households had been reconnected to the power grid.

In addition, road repairs are being carried out; 51 of the 89 closed main roads have now been cleared.

High-speed rail service around the island is expected to resume on Saturday afternoon, and ferry service across the Qiongzhou Strait is expected to resume on Sunday evening.

Haikou Meilan International Airport will remain closed until noon on Sunday due to the remnants of Typhoon Yagi. Sanya Phoenix International Airport began gradually resuming flight operations at 10 a.m. on Saturday.

Rescue teams are working hard to restore communications networks after more than 12,500 base stations were damaged across Hainan. The city of Wenchang saw the worst disruption to communications facilities.

In Guangdong province, Yagi had forced the relocation of 729,954 people by Saturday noon, according to the provincial flood, drought and typhoon control authorities.

Since Thursday night, western Guangdong has been hit by heavy rains. Xiaqiao Township recorded the highest rainfall at 415.6 millimeters, the Guangdong Meteorological Office said.

As the storm subsides, classes, work, transportation and other services have resumed in several cities since Saturday.

More than 34,400 rescue workers were deployed to provide disaster relief in the cities of Zhanjiang, Yangjiang, Jiangmen and Maoming.

Meteorologists expect rain and wind to ease from Saturday night, with isolated showers expected across the province from Monday to Tuesday.

Yagi also caused devastating damage in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, forcing the evacuation of around 60,000 residents. As of 11 a.m. Saturday, over 107,000 households were without power.

Over 30 townships were hit by heavy rains, and more than 110 townships in the region were affected by strong storms. Jiao'an Township recorded the highest rainfall at 140.6 millimeters.

As water levels in several rivers continue to rise, authorities have issued flood warnings.

On Saturday morning, China's National Meteorological Center renewed the red alert – the highest warning level – for Yagi.

Torrential rains are expected in parts of Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi, Guangdong and Hainan from Saturday afternoon to Sunday afternoon.