Typhoon Dolphin has struck Japan’s southern Okinawa region, injuring five people and cutting electricity to about 14,000 buildings, as the powerful storm moves towards China’s eastern coast.
Japan’s Okinawa prefectural government said the five injured people were elderly and that their injuries were not life-threatening. Three of them reportedly fell because of the strong winds.
Okinawa and Amami Island in Kagoshima Prefecture have been among the areas worst affected. The typhoon has also disrupted air travel, forcing flight cancellations in Japan, China and Taiwan.
Dolphin was located about 160 kilometres northwest of Kume Island in Okinawa early Saturday, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. It was moving northwest at around 15 kilometres per hour, with maximum sustained winds of 162km/h and gusts reaching 216km/h.
The storm is now approaching China, where authorities have taken emergency measures. Ports, schools, tourist attractions and some transport services have been closed or suspended in parts of the country.
China’s National Meteorological Centre expects Dolphin to make landfall along the eastern or southern coast between late Sunday and early Monday, most likely between Zhoushan in Zhejiang Province and Fuding in Fujian Province.
Forecasters warned that heavy rain and strong winds could affect eastern China through August 12. Parts of eastern Zhejiang could receive more than 600mm of rainfall.
Zhejiang Province has raised its coastal typhoon alert to the highest level, halted port operations and suspended 162 passenger ferry routes. Authorities in Ningbo have also ordered schools and other educational facilities to close, while water-related activities have been suspended.
Shanghai’s Yangshan Port has been cleared of vessels, while some railway services in the Yangtze River Delta are expected to be suspended.
Taiwan has also cancelled 63 international flights because of the storm. Heavy rainfall is expected in northern parts of the island, although no evacuations had been ordered as of Saturday.
The typhoon developed from a tropical depression that formed over the Pacific Ocean on July 26. It strengthened progressively as it travelled thousands of kilometres across the Pacific before becoming a typhoon.
The storm comes as East Asia experiences an intense and record-breaking heatwave, with several deaths and severe impacts reported across the region.
China has also instructed ships travelling through the Taiwan Strait to follow its traffic-control measures. Taiwan has rejected the move, describing it as “ridiculous” and arguing that Beijing has no authority to restrict access to international waters.If you want, I can also make it shorter and more suitable for a Facebook/WhatsApp news post, while keeping the key facts.
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