CHINA (Reuters) – Typhoon Merbok, the second typhoon of the year, made landfall on the coast of Shenzhen City in south China’s Guangdong Province on Monday night, moving northward at a speed of 20 kilometers per hour.
The typhoon brought strong gales to the Dapeng Peninsula where it made landfall at around 23:00 on Monday, with waves of up to five meters high seen belting a pier.
Local maritime authorities had earlier banned all ships from setting sail on Monday afternoon, and pulled all ships to shelters onshore using cranes to avoid possible damage.
Restaurants and resorts on the peninsula, which is a popular tourist attraction in Shenzhen, have all been closed, while tourists have been evacuated to nearby shelters for their safety.
The neighboring Daya Bay was struck with force 10 winds , surging waves up to six meters high on beaches.
Local authorities issued a yellow alert against the rainstorm on Monday, and dispatched more than 5,000 personnel to monitor the flood situation on Monday night.
