Typhoon Mangkhut hits China. Dozens killed in the Philippines
Environment — di Valentina Neri
After devastating the Philippines and claiming dozens of lives, Typhoon Mangkhut sweeps through Hong Kong and China's Guangdong province.
Typhoon Mangkhut hits China. Dozens killed in the Philippines
After devastating the Philippines and claiming dozens of lives, Typhoon Mangkhut sweeps through Hong Kong and China's Guangdong province.
The extremely powerful Typhoon Mangkhut continues on its path, lashing Southeast Asia and moving towards China. According to meteorologists, it is the strongest storm of the year by any measure, including Hurricane Florence in the United States.
The tragic toll of the typhoon in the Philippines
In recent hours, Typhoon Mangkhut struck Luzon, the largest island in the Philippines archipelago. Despite the authorities' efforts to do everything possible to protect the population, the damage has been enormous.
LOOK: Rescuers race against time to save the victims of a landslide in Itogon, a mining town in Benguet cnn.ph
📷 PNP Police Regional Office Cordillera
📷 PNP Police Regional Office Cordillera
Estimates of the death toll are still provisional, but on Sunday government spokesperson Francis Tolentino reported 29 confirmed deaths. Most of the victims were in the Cordillera Administrative Region in the north-western part of the island, where 42 landslides occurred. The toll could rise further. The New York Times, citing authorities, reports that a church where displaced people were taking shelter and a shantytown where dozens of miners were sleeping were buried by mudslides. The number of people forced from their homes, the New York newspaper continues, stands at 105,000.
Hong Kong brought to a standstill by Mangkhut's arrival
Hong Kong was swept by Typhoon Mangkhut on Sunday. As the New York Times notes, the city is equipped to cope with violent storms, but in this case the situation was far out of the ordinary, with winds exceeding 190 kilometres per hour and twelve-metre waves battering the coast. The authorities issued a level 10 alert, the highest possible, urging people to leave the most at-risk areas. The airport, a crucial transport hub for Asia, was brought almost to a complete standstill, with at least 900 flights cancelled. For the first time in history, all the casinos in Macau were closed.
Typhoon Mangkhut advances towards China
More than 2 million people have been evacuated in the province of Guangdong, in the south-eastern coastal area of China. As reported by the news agency Xinhua, Typhoon Mangkhut passed through the city of Jiangmen at 5pm local time (11am in Italy), with winds blowing at 160 kilometres per hour. It is now continuing its path towards more inland areas, gradually losing strength. The authorities have called 48,000 fishing vessels back to port, suspended work at more than 29,000 construction sites and ordered the closure of more than six hundred tourist attractions.
Pelting rain and swamped roads in southern China, after super #TyphoonMangkhut makes landfall
The area affected by the typhoon is an important industrial centre for the chemical and steel sectors. Because facilities of this kind require a massive energy supply — the New York Times notes — several nuclear and coal-fired power plants are operating in the area. Ahead of the typhoon's arrival, extraordinary safety measures were put in place, particularly for two nuclear plants near the coast.