Two people died and another remains missing in Fuzhou, Fujian province, as Typhoon Haikui triggers deadly floods across the region.
The tragedy unfolded when a nine-person fire truck taking part in a rescue mission drifted away amid rising floodwaters in Chili village, eastern Yongtai county. By 5 p.m. local time (09:00 GMT) on Tuesday, eight firefighters were accounted for, six of whom were reported in stable condition. Nevertheless, two rescuers lost their lives during the operation, and authorities continued the search for the missing individual.
Typhoon Haikui, the eleventh cyclone of the year, made landfall in Fujian around 05:20 local time (21:20 GMT on Monday), bringing sustained winds and significant gusts. Local meteorological sources recorded winds up to 20 meters per second near the typhoon’s center.
Fuzhou experienced heavy rainfall as Haikui advanced, with some areas recording more than 300 millimeters in a 24-hour window. Emergency services kept Level III flood and typhoon responses in place for Fujian and Guangdong, marking the third tier among four alert levels. Rail and maritime services were disrupted, and schools across affected cities suspended classes due to the weather.
Before striking the mainland, Haikui first affected Taiwan, where winds reached up to 101 kilometers per hour with gusts up to 126 kilometers per hour. Authorities evacuated more than 3,000 people in hardest-hit zones, and widespread power outages affected over 74,000 homes after heavy rains reached 700 millimeters in parts of southern Taiwan.
As Haikui moves through East Asia, it underscores a notably active typhoon season in the region, with communities across shores and cities bracing for continuous rainfall, flooding, and the need for rapid emergency response.