Typhoon Doksuri leaves 39 dead in Philippines, triggers evacuation in China
Around 500,000 affected in Philippines, strong winds, rains hit coastal areas of Fujian province in China
by Riyaz ul Khaliq and Necva Tastan
ISTANBUL
The death toll from Typhoon Doksuri in the Philippines has risen to 39, including 26 people who perished in a boat sinking, with hundreds of thousands more affected and displaced.
According to the Philippines National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, around 500,000 others were affected in the Southeast Asian nation.
At least 13 people were killed in different incidents, while 26 people were killed on Thursday when a boat sank in Laguna de Bay off Binangonan, Rizal province, due to strong winds.
Some 42,000 people were displaced due to the acute weather situation created by strong winds and rains brought by the typhoon, which also injured 12 people in the country, daily Phil Star reported.
Meanwhile, the typhoon made landfall in southwestern China on Friday, triggering massive evacuation.
"Doksuri is likely to become the strongest typhoon to make landfall in the south of Fujian since 2017, forcing the evacuation of people and the closure of businesses and schools," Beijing-based Xinhua News reported.
It said the strong winds and rains affected over 724,600 people, including around 45,000 people who have been moved to safer places.
The typhoon has caused economic losses of around 52.27 million yuan ($7.3 million).
The typhoon brought powerful winds and heavy rain to Fujian province when it made landfall in coastal areas of Jinjiang city, Chinese broadcaster CGTN reported.
Doksuri received a red alert, the most severe level, from the National Meteorological Center.
It is the fifth typhoon to hit China this year and is expected to move toward the northwestern parts of the country.