A powerful typhoon named Dolphin battered Japan’s southern island of Okinawa on Saturday, injuring six people and knocking out power to over 50,000 buildings. The tropical cyclone, which brought maximum sustained winds of 162 kilometers per hour and gusts reaching 216 kilometers per hour, is now tracking toward China.
According to local officials, five elderly people in Okinawa suffered non-life-threatening injuries, while another person was injured in Kagoshima prefecture. Nearly 39,000 buildings in Kagoshima and more than 12,000 in Okinawa were left without electricity.
The storm disrupted travel, with major Japanese airlines canceling flights to and from Okinawa. On Friday, local authorities ordered nearly 260,000 residents in Kagoshima and Okinawa to evacuate as the storm approached, warning of violent winds, heavy rain, and high waves.
Dolphin is expected to weaken as it moves toward China, where the typhoon emergency response has been raised to Level III, signaling a heightened state of preparedness. The storm has been classified as an orange-category typhoon. Landfall is forecast between Zhoushan in Zhejiang province and Fuding in Fujian province between late Sunday and early Monday.
Chinese authorities have suspended port operations and ferry services in affected coastal areas, while some schools and tourist sites have also been closed. Heavy rain of up to 400 mm is forecast in parts of eastern China, raising the risk of flooding and landslides.
Article and image source: beijingbulletin.com
