Super Typhoon Yagi Devastates Southern China

Two people were killed, and 92 others injured, as Super Typhoon Yagi pounded China’s Hainan province with heavy rain and gusty winds, local authorities said Saturday.

The 11th typhoon of the year, Yagi made two landfalls on Friday, first in Hainan and later in Guangdong.

China issued a red alert on Friday, warning of potential floods in the southern region as Yagi made landfall first in Hainan and then in Guangdong. The typhoon is expected to hit Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and northern Vietnam next.

More than one million residents were evacuated, with work, classes, and businesses suspended, and over 100 flights canceled, according to the South China Morning Post.

Heavy rain and gusty winds battered Hainan, particularly Wenchang city—home to one of the nation’s rocket launch sites—resulting in power outages.

Videos on social media depict the province’s iconic coconut trees snapped and toppled, along with fallen billboards, destroyed roofs, and overturned vehicles.

Residents described the scene as “horrible,” with smashed windows and waterlogged furniture from the storm. Concerns were also raised for stray cats and dogs.

With winds of up to 245km/h (152mph) near its center, Yagi made landfall in Wenchang around 4 pm Friday, according to Hainan’s meteorological service.

From 1949 to the present, 106 typhoons have struck Hainan, but only nine have been classified as super typhoons.

Guangdong’s provincial governor, Wang Weizhong, urged officials to “spare no effort” in battling Yagi after it landed in Zhanjiang city Friday night. The storm is expected to bring heavy rain and gales to western Guangdong and the Pearl River Delta. President Xi Jinping has called for enhanced disaster relief efforts following the typhoon.

(With inputs from agencies.)