China identifies Yagi as strongest autumn typhoon to hit country since 1949

Beijing, Sep 9 (IANS) The China Meteorological Administration on Sunday identified Super Typhoon Yagi as the strongest autumn typhoon to have made landfall in China since 1949. 

Yagi, the 11th typhoon of this year, maintained Super Typhoon status for 64 hours, causing significant damage across many areas of China over the past few days, said the administration, Xinhua news agency reported.

Experts explained that a rare combination of factors intensified Yagi's unprecedented strength, including active monsoons in the South China Sea, the strong moisture injected from tropical cyclones, as well as favourable atmospheric conditions.

Though Yagi has now weakened, its residual circulation may still trigger heavy rain in parts of Guangxi and Yunnan, the National Meteorological Center warned, highlighting the potential risks of flooding, landslides and urban waterlogging.

Yagi, which was downgraded on Sunday to a tropical depression, made landfall twice on Friday, first striking Hainan Province and later Guangdong Province.

In response to its waning impact, all tourism, cultural and sports venues in Sanya, a tourist city in south China's island province of Hainan, reopened to the public on Sunday, local authorities said.

In some popular scenic spots, broken branches and fallen leaves left by the typhoon have been cleaned. Five teams have been sent by the city's tourism bureau to typhoon-stricken areas to inspect safety hazards and guide post-disaster reconstruction work.

In Vietnam, super typhoon Yagi over the weekend killed at least 21 people and injured 229 others, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

--IANS

int/sha