» 08/30/2011 09:05 CHINA-TAIWAN-PHILIPPINES Alert for tropical storm Nanmadol Until two days ago it was a typhoon that had killed 16 people on the island of Luzon. In Taiwan there is some minor damage, with thousands of people evacuated. In Fujian 44 thousand boats and 119 thousand fishermen recalled to port.
Shanghai (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Tropical Storm Nanmadol is heading towards Fujian after having battered Taiwan and having killed 16 people in the Philippines.
According to China's weather Nanmadol will hit the southeastern coast of the country in the early afternoon. Although yesterday Nanmadol was downgraded from typhoon to a tropical storm, it drags with winds of 80 kilometers per hour.
The government of Fujian has recalled 44 thousand boats and more than 119 000 fishermen to port, halting all shipping activities. High speed trains have also suffered delays or cancellations.
Yesterday Nanmadol hit areas south and east of the island of Taiwan. The government of Taipei ordered at least eight thousand residents evacuated from rural or mountain areas, at risk of landslides and deployed around 50 thousand troops to tackle the emergency. In 2009, the typhoon Morakot killed over 500 people and wrought damages amounting to more than 2 billion Euros.
This time Nanmadol did not cause much damage, but interrupted all trade and transport for a day.
This past weekend in the Philippines, Nanmadol - then classified as a typhoon - killed 16 people, buried under mudslides. At least 6 thousand people were evacuated from the area of impact, in the northern island of Luzon.
