Typhoon Saudel brings torrential rain, flooding to China's coastal areas

Typhoon Saudel struck China's Fujian province on Thursday morning, bringing torrential rain and severe flooding to coastal regions. Operating as the seventh typhoon to hit China this year, Saudel forced the suspension of public transport, school closures, and emergency flood protocols across multiple areas. In Jinxi village, raging waters destroyed a three-storey residential building, while Putian experienced widespread highway inundation and structural bridge damage. Hundreds of thousands of residents have been relocated across Zhejiang and Fujian provinces since late August. Meteorological experts attribute the sequence of storms to an exceptionally strong Western Pacific subtropical high driven by El Niño conditions. The United Nations warned that the current El Niño event could intensify into 2027. Authorities continue search and rescue operations for trapped citizens as the Ministry of Natural Resources warns of secondary disaster risks, including landslides, across swollen river basins and saturated low-lying communities.