Schools, ferry routes suspended as Typhoon Saudel lashes east China

Authorities in Fujian province, eastern China, closed schools and halted ferry services on Thursday as Typhoon Saudel battered the region with heavy rainfall. Satellite imagery showed the typhoon making landfall on China's eastern coast on August 28, 2026. Extreme weather events have recently caused havoc across China, with multiple typhoons bringing torrential rain and prompting the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people.

Saudel was the third typhoon to strike China's coast, after previously hitting neighboring Zhejiang province twice. Schools in Fuzhou and Quanzhou cities suspended in-person classes, and some tourist attractions, including theme parks, temporarily closed. Twenty-four passenger ferry routes along Fujian's coast were suspended, reported state broadcaster CCTV.

The province's emergency management agency warned of rainstorms and secondary disasters, including flash floods and landslides, stating that the province was experiencing persistent heavy rainfall. Around 247,700 people in high-risk areas had been evacuated the previous week due to the looming threat of heavy rain, as reported by Xinhua news agency.

In July, at least 159 people lost their lives in Guangxi region, southern China, after Typhoon Maysak triggered catastrophic floods. Scientists warn that as the planet continues to warm due to fossil fuel emissions, the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events will only increase. While China is the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases, it is also a global leader in renewable energy and aims to make its massive economy carbon-neutral by 2060.

A catastrophic flood that swept through the Nepal-China border region last week claimed over 1,200 lives and left more than 4,750 people missing as of Thursday, heightening global concerns over the growing risks posed by climate change.