Typhoon landed in China's Hainan island at severe tropical storm level

A typhoon changed its path and landed in southern China's Hainan island at late night Friday.

Typhoon Wutip, landed in Basuo township at a severe tropical storm level in the city of Dongfang in Hainan province, according to Hainan Meteorological Service. Its maximum sustained winds is 30 meters (98 feet) per second.

This is the second time in 70 years the island has the country's first typhoon in the year. Typhoon Wutip was forecasted to make landfall around noon Saturday on the Chinese mainland near the border between Guangdong province and the Guangxi region.


Authorities in Guangdong province evacuated more than 10,000 people, closed schools and canceled flights, trains and vessels Friday.

It is unclear if Typhoon Wutip has caused any deaths or injuries.

Photos posted by a Chinese news outlet showed toppled trees and a strewn corrugated metal fence at a construction site in the city of Sanya, a popular beach resort on Hainan. All schools, construction sites and tourist attractions in Sanya were closed and flights were suspended at the city's airport, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

A dozen crew members were rescued Thursday night from a cargo ship that called for help, Xinhua said. The crew were transferred to a rescue vessel in rough seas with 3-meter (10-foot) waves.

Typhoon Wutip had maximum sustained winds of 119 kilometers (74 miles) per hour before it landed.

Guangdong activated rescue boats and helicopters, and more than 49,000 fishing boats returned to port, Xinhua said. The provincial meteorological agency forecast heavy rain and said tornadoes were possible.

Wutip means "butterfly" in Cantonese, which is spoken in Macao. Countries and the Chinese regions of Hong Kong and Macao contribute the names for storms during the typhoon season.

The last time the island had the country's first typhoon landfall was in 2008 with Typhoon Neoguri. Neoguri means "raccoon" in Korean.