Danas lashes Zhejiang coast with strong winds, heavy rain

Extensive emergency measures were in place Tuesday as Typhoon Danas approached the coast of eastern China, prompting mass evacuations, transport suspensions and port closures.

The fourth typhoon of the year, Danas made landfall on the Chinese mainland in Wenzhou, Zhejiang province, at 9:25 pm on Tuesday, according to the National Meteorological Center.

The center said wind speeds in coastal areas can be expected to reach as much as 117 kilometers per hour. After making landfall, Danas is expected to move westward and gradually weaken.

On Monday, heavy to torrential rain fell under the influence of Danas in southern and northwestern parts of Taiwan and along the coast of Zhejiang province.

In Taizhou, Zhejiang, as much as 260 millimeters of rainfall was recorded in some areas over a 24-hour period.

Coastal regions of Taiwan, Zhejiang and Fujian provinces experienced wind gusts of as much as 100 km per hour.

After weakening while passing through Taiwan, Danas was reclassified as a tropical storm or severe tropical storm.

In Taizhou, authorities warned that heavy rainfall could bring flooding and geological hazards, including mountain torrents and landslides.

Railway authorities suspended numerous high-speed rail services across affected routes on Tuesday to ensure passenger safety. In Zhejiang, services were halted on the Hangzhou-Shenzhen, Hangzhou-Taizhou, Hangzhou-Wenzhou and Jinhua-Wenzhou lines. Fujian canceled all trains on the Fuzhou-Pingtan, Fuding-Fuzhou and Songxi-Ningde lines, and suspended early-morning services on the Fuzhou-Xiamen line.

As of 3 pm Tuesday, the Zhejiang Maritime Safety Administration had deployed 139 patrol vessels and more than 1,600 officers across the province. Officials inspected over 360 ships and issued more than 107,000 storm warnings. All 126 passenger ferry routes in Zhejiang were suspended, including all routes in Taizhou and Wenzhou, while water-related construction and port operations were halted.

In Taizhou, 704 vessels were under monitoring, and 193 high-risk ships underwent safety checks. Authorities evacuated 4,657 residents from islands vulnerable to the storm, and three rescue ships and 14 tugs were on standby. In Wenzhou, 2,365 fishing boats were sheltered in ports. In Hangzhou, water bus lines 3 and 7 were suspended due to high water levels.