Typhoon Talim: Thousands evacuated as typhoon hits southern China

A powerful typhoon has made landfall in China’s Guandong province with nearly 230,000 people evacuated from their homes.

Talim, the fourth typhoon this year, hit the southern coast with winds of nearly 140km/h (87mph).

Storm surges lashed the coast, while fierce winds and rain led to hundreds of flights and trains being cancelled.

Vietnam said it was evacuating around 30,000 people in Quang Ninh and Hai Phong, forecast to be hardest hit.

Talim made landfall at around 10:20 local time (14:20 GMT), the China Meteorological Administration said, issuing an orange alert, its second-highest warning in a four-tier system.

The typhoon could lose speed by Tuesday morning and “weaken and dissipate over northern Vietnam” on Wednesday, it added.

Those evacuated in Guangdong included more than 8,000 fish-farm workers who were brought ashore, Chinese state media say.

Local authorities also ordered the closure of dozens of coastal tourist destinations.

The typhoon is expected to move to the Beibu Gulf in the South China Sea, and may make a second landfall in the coastal area of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on Tuesday morning, China’s National Meteorological Centre said.

Waves of up to six metres (20 feet) were expected to hit the southern island province of Hainan, the local marine forecasting station warned.