Doksuri leaves death, destruction in its wake

Violent winds caused electrical power lines to spark and catch fire, and heavy rains flooded city streets as Typhoon Doksuri swept into China's Fujian province on Friday.

The storm has affected around 725,000 people in Fujian after battering Taiwan and killing at least 39 people in the Philippines.

According to the National Meteorological Center, Doksuri made landfall in the coastal city of Jinjiang, Fujian province, at 9:55 am on Friday. Wind speeds at its core reached 175 kilometers per hour. The center said most of China's southeastern provinces can expect heavy rains through Friday — up to 27 centimeters in some parts of the region.

Doksuri is the strongest typhoon to hit Fujian since Typhoon Meranti in 2016. It has forced the closure of schools, businesses and the evacuation of workers from construction sites.

"After it entered the Taiwan Strait, the spinning storm narrowed considerably, indicating that its energy had become more concentrated within a core area spanning about 100 or 200 kilometers. The destructive power of the core area is formidable, so everyone needs to remain vigilant," said Chen Jinpeng, deputy director of the Zhangzhou Meteorological Center.

The China Meterological Administration said hourly rainfall in Xiamen, Quanzhou and Putian had exceeded 50 millimeters, and the emergency response status was raised to Level I, the country's highest.

Social media video showed toppled trees and damaged buildings in Quanzhou and Xiamen. Some showed people trapped and injured in the storm.

To fight Doksuri, Quanzhou and Zhangzhou in Fujian halted industrial activity, production, market trading and classes. The Fujian Maritime Bureau said that four professional rescue helicopters, five rescue ships, and 28 marine rescue volunteer teams had been placed on emergency standby.

Meanwhile, a total of 617 scenic spots and 5,836 construction sites in Fujian were closed. Fuzhou International Airport canceled more than 50 flights on Thursday.

In Guangdong province, three rescue teams were dispatched to coastal areas and assigned responsibility for monitoring, forecasting and issuing early warnings. Guangdong Power Grid Co said it had deployed 157 personnel and 53 repair vehicles to ensure the safe operation of electrical transmission equipment.

After Doksuri made landfall in Fujian, neighboring Guangdong province gradually began to resume railway services.

Up to 52 trains along the Shenzhen-Hangzhou line resumed service, all of which were running within Guangdong, according to China Railway Guangzhou Group, the operator.

On Thursday and Friday, the storm had cut power to more than 278,000 homes across Taiwan while in the Philippines, Doksuri killed at least 39 people including dozens on added boat that capsized.

The typhoon is expected to continue to move in a northwesterly direction, with gradually weakening intensity, but 10 provinces will likely experience heavy rain.

Qiu Quanlin, Jin Ye, Liu Yihan and Gong Yihang in Guangzhou contributed to this story.