Typhoon Wipha makes second landfall in south China

Wipha, the seventh typhoon this year, made a second landfall in southern China's Guangdong Province Thursday evening after landing in the island province of Hainan on the same day.

Bicycles and motorcycles are submerged on a flooded road after a heavy rainstorm caused by Typhoon Wipha, the 7th typhoon of the year, in Haikou, capital of Hainan province, August 1, 2019. [Photo: IC]

Wipha landed in the city of Zhanjiang at about 5:40 p.m., packing winds of 83 km an hour near its center, according to the Guangdong provincial meteorological bureau.

Previously, the typhoon came ashore Hainan at around 1:50 a.m. in the city of Wenchang, grounding flights and trains with strong winds and heavy rains.

The tropical island has experienced intense rain since Tuesday evening, with maximum rainfall of 276.1 mm within 24 hours in Haikou, the provincial capital, the Hainan provincial meteorological bureau said.

The gales and heavy rains have disrupted local traffic. Haikou Meilan International Airport has cancelled 50 flights and the airport in the city of Sanya has cancelled six flights Thursday.

All ferry services in the Qiongzhou Strait, which separates Hainan Island from Guangdong Province, and high-speed rail services circling the island have been suspended, while 146 bus routes in Haikou have stopped operation due to waterlogging of streets.

In Guangdong, severe waterlogging has been reported in coastal cities such as Zhanjiang, Maoming and Zhuhai, local authorities said, adding that the rainstorms are predicted to continue into Friday in many cities.

The typhoon is expected to track northwest and enter the southern parts of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region or the northern Beibu Gulf Thursday night.

Guangxi on Wednesday launched an emergency response to the coming typhoon. So far, a total of 9,850 ships have been recalled to port, and 21,606 tourists have been evacuated from the Weizhou Island, said the region's emergency management department.

No casualties have been reported so far in the Wipha-hit areas.