BEIJING/TAIPEI: Torrential rain and landslides in China have left more than 200 people dead or missing in recent days, state media and the government said as the country braced yesterday for an approaching typhoon.
Landslides and floods in Sichuan province in the southwest had killed 31 people by Thursday, according to data from the Ministry of Civil Affairs, with 166 more missing. More than two million people had been affected in the region, it added.
Another 13 people had died, with four missing, since Sunday in Yan’an in the northwest, where local authorities warned of a high risk of flooding and landslides, the state-run Xinhua news agency said.
Official figures also showed deaths in several other parts of the country, from the central provinces of Henan and Hubei to the northern region of Ningxia.
Taiwan yesterday canceled dozens of international flights and evacuated more than 1,000 people from a vulnerable coastal village as a powerful typhoon threatened to bring strong winds and heavy rains to the island.
China was also making preparations in advance of the arrival of Typhoon Soulik, the first of the year to hit the region.
Taiwan’s Central Weather Bureau said at 4 p.m. (0800 GMT) that Soulik was at sea about 320 km southeast of Yilan county in northeastern Taiwan. The typhoon has winds of 173 kph.
Slight rain was falling in Taipei at midday. The weather bureau forecast heavy rains by afternoon for northern Taiwan and torrential rains for the south of the island later Friday.
“At this point, we can’t tell if the center of the storm will make landfall, but we can expect the fiercest of winds tonight and early Saturday before it moves over to seas north of Taiwan,” said forecaster Chang Ting-yi.
Schools and offices were closing in the afternoon. Officials are readying water pumps and sandbags to prevent flooding in low-lying areas, the government said.
In Yilan, hundreds of soldiers equipped with amphibious vehicles have moved into mountainous areas to help with evacuations and rescues. Farmers harvested fruits and vegetables to reduce damage.
Across the Taiwan Strait, the China Meteorological Administration said Soulik would make landfall in the eastern coastal provinces of Zhejiang and Fujian today before moving inland.
Local authorities were urged to suspend all maritime activities and cancel large-scale gatherings while reinforcing port and seafood farming facilities to reduce the chances of damage.
