Chinese coastal areas issue red alert for Typhoon Trami

Coastal areas in south China's Hainan Province on Saturday afternoon issued a red alert, the highest alert level, for typhoon Trami.

Trami is expected to circle over the waters from the southern coast of Hainan Island to the Xisha Islands on Sunday night, before moving eastward, gradually losing its intensity, according to the Hainan Meteorological Service.

From Saturday to Tuesday, Trami will bring strong winds and heavy rains to the sea areas near Hainan.

"Based on the current monitoring, Trami is expected to move westward at a speed of 10 to 15 kilometers per hour, gradually increasing intensity. As it approaches Hainan Island and the Xisha Islands, its strongest intensity may reach typhoon level. Starting Sunday, it will circle over the sea areas from the southern coast of Hainan Island to the Xisha Islands, and then its intensity will begin to weaken," said Wu Zhiyan, chief forecaster from the Hainan Meteorological Service.

The service maintained its Level-IV warning for typhoon on Saturday morning. Due to Trami, some sea areas around Hainan are expected to experience strong winds, and the Xisha and Zhongsha Islands will face intense winds and rainfall from Saturday to Tuesday.

On Saturday afternoon, the Sansha Municipal Meteorological Bureau upgraded the alert for the typhoon from orange to red in parts of Xisha Islands. A red warning for heavy rain was issued in the Yongle Islands of Xisha.

The Hainan Meteorological Service forecasts that Typhoon Trami will bring persistent strong winds and heavy rains to the Xisha and Zhongsha Islands, as well as sustained strong winds in the central South China Sea.

Trami also caused flooding in Yongxing Island on Saturday morning, drenching the streets.

China has a four-tier, color-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow and blue.

Chinese coastal areas issue red alert for Typhoon Trami

International media on Saturday and Sunday visited the core disaster area of mudslide-hit Gyirong Port on the China-Nepal border in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region.

The reporters from the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Brazil among other countries and regions visited the area and learned about the disaster situation, ongoing rescue operations, and progress in recovery and reconstruction.

"China has this particular the capacity to address this kind of crisis. You have thousands of workers trained for this and you have machines made for this kind of efforts. And of course, our heart goes to them for the kind of work they are putting," said KJM Varma Mokanda, a reporter from Press Trust of India.

The mudslide, triggered by a high-altitude glacier collapse in Nepal on Aug 26, had left 43 people dead and 519 others missing at the border port as of 18:00 Saturday, the emergency response and rescue headquarters told a press conference on Sunday.

As of 18:00 Saturday, more than 2,500 people and over 500 vehicles had been deployed for the rescue, and more than 1,000 flights of drones had air-dropped 5.43 tons of supplies, officials said at the press conference.

International media visit mudslide-hit Gyirong Port