Tropical storm Nanmadol heads to China

Nanmadol had pummelled Taiwan after devastating parts of Philippines earlier [Reuters]

Tropical Storm Nanmadol is heading towards China after leaving a trail of destruction in Taiwan and killing 16 people in the Philippines.

Chinese weather authorities said Nanmadol was expected to make landfall in the southeastern province of Fujian, bringing heavy rains to the region.

Although Nanmadol was downgraded to a tropical storm from a typhoon on Monday after making landfall in Taiwan, it was still packing winds of 80 kilometres per hour, the National Meteorological Centre said in a
statement.

Fujian has recalled more than 44,000 boats carrying over 119,000 fisherman to harbour as a precaution against Nanmadol, Chinese state radio reported.

The province had also suspended shipping services and warned that bullet train services might be slowed or halted.

Trail of destruction

Taiwan has had to deploy more than 50,000 troops and evacuate thousands of people as Nanmadol pummelled some of the most densely populated areas in the island’s worst typhoon since 2009.

About 30,000 households in southern and eastern Taiwan lost power, the AP news agency reports, while heavy rains closed many roads and bridges.

The region most severely affected by the storm was southern Pingtung county, where civilian defence teams had to rescue people from areas inundated by flash floods.

In the Philippines, more than 61,000 people were evacuated after Nanmadol lashed the northern edge of the main island of Luzon at the weekend, causing landslides and floods. Most of the 16 killed were buried in landslides.