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| Super Typhoon Yagi hits Vietnam after casualties in China's Hainan |
Super Typhoon Yagi, Asia's strongest storm this year, hit the southern Chinese island of Hainan before reaching northern Vietnam on Saturday, killing two people and injuring dozens, the weather bureau said.
Yagi, the world's second most powerful tropical cyclone in 2024, has already killed at least 16 people in the Philippines after forming east of the archipelago earlier this week.
When it reached the northern Vietnamese islands around 1pm local time (6am GMT) on Saturday, Hainan province recorded wind speeds of up to 234 kph (145 mph) and maximum winds of 160 kph (99 mph) near the centre.
It peaked at 145 kph (145 mph) earlier, causing a loss of power. Vietnam's coastal city of Hai Phong, an industrial hub of 2 million people that is home to factories owned by foreign multinationals and domestic car maker VinFast, was hit hardest by the storm so far.
Parts of the city lost power on Saturday, authorities said. A Reuters witness said winds shattered windows and snapped branches on buildings. Streets in the city were deserted as people heeded authorities' requests to stay at home.
The storm has so far downed trees, flooded roads and knocked out power to more than 800,000 homes in Hainan province, home to more than 10 million people.
