Super Typhoon Yagi hits Vietnam after killing two in China

HAI PHONG, Vietnam: Super Typhoon Yagi uprooted thousands of trees and swept ships and boats out to sea as it made landfall in northern Vietnam Saturday (Sep 9), state media said.
The typhoon made landfall in Hai Phong and Quang Ninh provinces, packing winds exceeding 149kmh, VNExpress said, after blowing past southern China where it killed two people.
In Hai Phong, metal roof sheets and commercial sign boards were seen flying across the city sky as the typhoon hit.
“It has been years since I witnessed a typhoon this big,” said Tran Thi Hoa, a 48-year-old woman from Hai Phong.
“It was scary. I stayed indoors, after locking all my windows. However, the sound of the wind and the rain was unbelievable,” she told AFP.
The typhoon hit Vietnam after killing at least two people and injuring 92 others on southern China’s Hainan island.
State broadcaster CCTV said Yagi brought winds of more than 230kmh, uprooting trees and prompting the evacuation of around 460,000 people.
Hainan’s main airport in Haikou was closed until 3pm on Saturday, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
Authorities in the neighbouring province of Guangdong said on Friday that they had evacuated more than 574,000 residents to safety.
Yagi killed at least 13 people in the Philippines earlier this week when it was still classified as a tropical storm, before strengthening into a super typhoon over the next few days.
Typhoons in the region are now forming closer to the coast, intensifying more rapidly, and staying over land for longer due to climate change, according to a study published in July.