Super Typhoon Saomai Slams into China's Zhejiang Province
Chinese authorities say Super Typhoon Saomai has slammed into the coast of eastern China. They say it is the most powerful storm to hit the country in decades.
China's official Xinhua News Agency says Saomai made landfall at about 5:30 p.m. this Thursday afternoon near the city of Wenzhou in Zhejiang province. Forecasters say the storm had a maximum windspeed of 216 kilometers an hour before coming ashore. It is expected to move further inland, traveling northwest at about 20 kilometers an hour.
Authorities have evacuated one-point-three million people from coastal regions of Zhejiang and Fujian province, just to the south. Earlier Thursday, Saomai skirted the northern coast of Taiwan, but the island escaped the brunt of the storm and no serious damage or casualties were reported. Some domestic and international flights were canceled.
中国当局说，超强台风“桑美”冲击了东部沿海地区。他们说，这是几十年来袭击中国的最强大风暴。
中国官方的新华社报导，“桑美”台风于当地时间星期四下午5点半在浙江温州附近登陆。气象部门说，登陆前的最大风力达每小时216公里。预计，台风将以20公里的时速向西北方向内陆地区移动。
有关当局已经疏散了浙江以南福建和浙江两省沿海的130万民众。星期四早些时候，台风“桑美”绕过台湾北部沿海地区，但是台湾主岛躲过了台风的正面冲击，没有严重财产损失或是人员伤亡的报导。一些国内和国际航班被迫取消。
