Chinese authorities have declared a red alert as a powerful typhoon heads towards the eastern coast.
Typhoon Lekima is currently battering Taiwan with winds of more than 190km/h and is due to make landfall in China’s Zhejiang province on Saturday.
Emergency teams have been deployed to the region to guide relief work, China’s emergency ministry said.
Thousands of people further up the coast in Shanghai have been warned to prepare to evacuate.
A flight information board shows iflights to Japan and China cancelled due to Typhoon Lekima at the Taipei Songshan Airport in Taipei, Taiwan. According to the Central Weather Bureau, Strong Typhoon Lekima will bring heavy rain to northern and northeastern Taiwan from 08 to 09 August. Lekima is expected to skirt Taiwan’s northeastern tip and moving up north on 10 August. EPA-EFE/DAVID CHANG
Flood warnings have been issued for eastern sections of the Yangtze River and the Yellow River until Wednesday. The provinces of Jiangsu and Shandong are also on alert.
A handout photo made available by NASA Earth Observatory of a satellite image showing Typhoon Lekima (L) and Tropical Storm Krosa (R) at about 04:30 Universal Time (1:30 p.m. Japan Standard Time), 07 August 2019 (issued 09 August 2019). Authorities in China on 09 August 2019 have declared a red alert as Typhoon Lekima is due to make landfall on the country’s eastern coast, in Zhejiang province on 10 August. The typhoon, which passed across the southern Ryuku islands of Japan, is currently battering Taiwan. EPA-EFE/NASA EARTH OBSERVATORY HANDOUT HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO SALES
Authorities in Taiwan have ordered markets, businesses and schools to close on Friday as the typhoon approaches the island, forcing flight cancellations and landslide warnings shortly after an earthquake of magnitude 6 struck.
