Authorities closed schools and suspended ferry routes in eastern China’s Fujian province on Thursday as Typhoon Saudel made its third landfall in the country, bringing heavy rain and triggering warnings of flash floods and landslides.Schools in Fuzhou and Quanzhou halted in-person activities, while some tourist attractions, including theme parks in Fuzhou, were also temporarily closed. A total of 24 passenger ferry routes along Fujian’s coast were suspended, state broadcaster CCTV reported.The province’s emergency management authority warned of persistent heavy rainfall and the risk of secondary disasters, including flash floods and landslides.A three-storey building in Xianyou County was swept away by flash floods triggered by intense rainfall.Typhoon Saudel made landfall in Fujian’s Zhangzhou after earlier hitting neighbouring Zhejiang province twice and regaining strength over the South China Sea. The storm is forecast to move west towards Guangdong, with heavy rain expected in Fujian and Guangdong through Friday.In Zhejiang’s Wenzhou, more than 2,500 teachers and students were trapped in a school compound on Wednesday after extreme rainfall caused flash flooding in the low-lying area, CCTV reported. Authorities used drones to deliver food and drinking water to those stranded.In Fujian’s Fuding, video footage showed brown floodwaters submerging vehicles and sweeping debris through low-lying streets. The city had already halted work, industrial activity and classes from Wednesday.Around 247,700 people in high-risk areas of Fujian had been evacuated last week after authorities warned of heavy rain, Xinhua reported.The latest storm comes after a series of extreme weather events across China in recent months, with there being recent flash floods near the Nepal-Tibet border and previous typhoon in July which triggered catastrophic floods in nearby regionsScientists have warned that the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events are expected to increase as the planet warms due to fossil fuel emissions.
