Super Typhoon Yagi makes second landfall, nearly 1 million residents relocated

GUANGZHOU/HAIKOU, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- Super Typhoon Yagi made its second landfall in Xuwen County, in the city of Zhanjiang, south China's Guangdong Province, around 10:20 p.m. Friday, said the provincial meteorological bureau.

Yagi, the 11th typhoon of this year, has developed into a super typhoon of level 17. The maximum wind force near its center reached 208.8 km per hour when the typhoon made its second landfall in Guangdong.

Around 4:20 p.m. Friday, the typhoon made landfall in Wengtian Township, in the city of Wenchang, south China's Hainan Province, packing winds of over 234 km per hour.

As of Friday noon, the typhoon had caused over 574,511 residents in Guangdong to be relocated, including 407,064 people in Zhanjiang, where the typhoon made its second landfall. All 84,873 fishing boats have sought shelter in harbors.

As of 2:30 p.m., 72 of Guangdong's 94 waterway passenger routes had been suspended. A total of 141.5 pairs of high-speed railway trains were suspended. Schools in 10 cities across the province have also been temporarily closed.

Previously, Hainan had relocated 419,367 residents before Super Typhoon Yagi made landfall in the province. Operations at 89 tourist attractions across Hainan have been suspended and traffic on roads, bridges and tunnels have all been temporarily shut down in multiple cities.

It is forecast that Yagi will continue to move northwest at a speed of 15 to 20 km per hour, then enter the Beibu Gulf region, where its intensity is expected to diminish. It is expected to make another landfall around the China-Vietnam border on Saturday afternoon, after which its wind force is likely to rapidly decrease, according to Guangdong's meteorological bureau.