Guangdong and Fujian braced for further torrential rain on Friday after severe downpours linked to Typhoon Saudel triggered flooding in urban and rural areas, swamping vehicles and causing a three-storey brick building to collapse.

In ⁠Fujian's city of Fuding, known for its tea plantations and lush greenery, firefighters waded through waist-deep floodwaters to carry the elderly to safety.

In nearby Jinxi village, a tea-growing community surrounded by mountains, raging floodwaters inundated residential buildings and brought down a three-storey house.

Local authorities have shut schools, suspended public transport and enforced emergency ⁠flood protocols across multiple coastal areas.

Saudel made its third landfall ⁠along the coast of ⁠Fujian on Thursday morning after intensifying again over the South China Sea.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been relocated across Zhejiang ⁠and nearby provinces since late August, including more than 83,000 residents evacuated in Fujian alone as Saudel tracked inland and soaked surrounding areas.

Saudel follows Typhoon Narra, which dumped heavy rain across Guangxi, Hainan and Guangdong late last month.

Torrential downpours pose a high risk for secondary disasters such as landslides, as recent rains have already pushed rivers ⁠over warning thresholds and inundated low-lying communities, the Ministry of Natural Resources warned. (Reuters)


Edited by Aaron Tam