China Typhoon "Yagi" sweeps across the South China Sea

Tropical storm "Yagi" has intensified into a typhoon over the South China Sea and is causing alarm in the neighboring countries. According to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center, it initially headed from the Philippines towards Hong Kong and mainland China, where it was expected to hit on Friday.

According to the local weather authority, it is expected to make landfall in the east of the southern Chinese island of Hainan and on the coast of the mainland province of Guangdong. According to meteorologists, the storm could become even stronger and grow into a super typhoon. Experts speak of this when a tropical cyclone reaches wind speeds of more than 240 kilometers per hour.

After China, the first country on its route is Vietnam, where "Yagi" could make landfall between Sunday and Monday. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh issued an urgent instruction on Tuesday to the ministries, agencies and local authorities of several coastal provinces to take immediate measures in order to be able to react quickly. In neighboring Laos, people were also warned of severe storms.

Death toll rises in the Philippines

In the Philippines, where "Yagi" had still been raging as a tropical storm in recent days, the death toll from flooding, flash floods and landslides has now risen to 16. 21 people are missing. Around 1.7 million people in the Southeast Asian island state were affected by the storms, according to the national disaster control agency and the police.

Around 88,000 people had to leave their homes and were accommodated in evacuation centers. In some parts of the country, people waded through chest-high floods. Many had to be rescued from their homes by boat. In some cases, school lessons were canceled, flights had to be canceled and shipping was temporarily suspended.

The Philippines is hit by an average of around 20 typhoons every year. The worst storm to date, "Haiyan", killed more than 6,300 people in November 2013.

SDA