Typhoon Noul kills 10 in China, snarls travel across south

Beijing,UPDATED: Jul 26, 2026 16:42 IST

Ten people were killed in rain-triggered flash floods in China as Typhoon Noul made landfall in the southern province of Guangdong early on Sunday. Noul, the 12th typhoon to hit China this year and the strongest so far, came ashore in Huizhou city at around 3.50 am, bringing gale-force winds and heavy rain to large parts of the region.

The storm disrupted transport across southern China, prompted emergency responses in several provinces and led to fresh disaster relief measures by the central authorities. In Hong Kong, more than 410 flights and 150 high-speed train services were cancelled, while 28 temporary shelters were opened as the typhoon approached.

State-run Xinhua news agency reported that the 10 deaths were caused by flash floods in a scenic area in Gansu. In Guangdong, China's Commission for Disaster Prevention, Reduction and Relief activated a Level-IV national disaster relief emergency response. Level-IV is the least severe tier in China's four-level emergency response system, with Level I being the most critical.

High-speed rail services and flights across Guangdong were cancelled on Sunday after the typhoon made landfall. China's national observatory had issued a red alert, the highest level in the country's four-tier colour-coded typhoon warning system, on Saturday. The Meteorological Centre later downgraded the warning to orange and then yellow on Sunday as Typhoon Noul weakened. In the warning system, red is followed by orange, yellow and blue.

According to the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post, the typhoon packed winds of up to 162 kilometres per hour, slightly stronger than Typhoon Bavi, which struck eastern and northeastern China about two weeks ago. Emergency measures were activated in Fujian, Jiangxi, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong and Guangxi, covering large parts of eastern, central and southern China.

A working team has been sent to the affected areas to assess the situation and help local authorities relocate and resettle residents, while ensuring their basic living needs. The Development and Reform Commission also allocated 100 million yuan, about USD 14.7 million, from the central budget for post-disaster recovery in Guangdong. The money will be used mainly to restore damaged infrastructure, including roads, water conservancy facilities, schools and hospitals, so that normal production and daily life can resume at the earliest.

Overall, Typhoon Noul brought heavy rain, strong winds and widespread disruption across southern China, while flash floods in Gansu left 10 people dead and authorities stepped up relief, recovery and emergency measures in the affected regions.

With PTI Inputs

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