Shanghai, China, Oct 7 (EFE).- China’s weather agency on Saturday issued a yellow alert for the arrival of Typhoon Koinu to the southeast of the country, after the storm left one dead and more than 300 injured as it barreled through Taiwan.
A passenger checks cancelled flights as Typhoon Koinu moves closer toward southern Taiwan, inside the Songshan airport in Taipei, Taiwan, 04 October 2023. EFE-EPA FILE/RITCHIE B. TONGO
A yellow alert is the second lowest in a four-level system.
The Central Meteorological Observatory reported that at 9 am local time (01:00 GMT), Koinu was in the northern section of the South China Sea, around 190 kilometers south of the town of Shanwei, belonging to the southeastern province of Canton.
The agency predicted strong winds that will affect the region as well as Fujian and Zhejiang further north.
Fujian and Guangzhou will also record heavy rains of up to 60 millimeters throughout the weekend, the Observatory noted.
Koinu is expected to continue moving in a west-southwest direction at a speed of 5-10 kilometers per hour, a process in which its intensity could be maintained or gradually reduced until it makes landfall in the western area of Canton or the island province of Hainan, further south, between Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong and Macau have activated level 3 alerts for strong winds, also warning of heavy rainfall this Sunday and Monday.
The storm tracking platform Zoom.earth currently calls Koinu a “very strong typhoon” due to winds of around 195 kph, although it expects it to have been downgraded to a “tropical storm” by the time it makes landfall, at which point tts winds could be around 85 kph.
Taiwan on Friday lifted its alert for the typhoon, which as it passed through the south of the island killed an 80-year-old woman and injured more than 300, as well as causing problems with electricity, water and transportation services.
Koinu arrived on the island after passing through the north of the Philippines, where strong winds and rains forced the evacuation of about 200 people, caused damage to 26 homes and forced the suspension of classes in a hundred locations, according to official data. EFE vec/tw
