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BEIJING - Super Typhoon Yagi, Asia’s most powerful storm in 2024, churned towards the northern coast of Vietnam on Sept 7 after with lightning, rain and violent winds. Yagi made landfall in Hainan on Sept 6, packing maximum sustained winds of 234kmh near its centre, downing trees and flooding roads. Power supply to more than 800,000 homes was cut. At least two people were killed and 92 others injured, state media reported on Sept 7. The storm lashed “Hainan with heavy rain and gusty winds, leaving at least two dead and 92 injured”, state-run news agency Xinhua said, citing local authorities. The island’s main airport in Haikou was closed until 3pm on Sept 7, according to state broadcaster CCTV. Authorities in the neighbouring province of Guangdong said on Sept 6 that they had evacuated more than 574,000 residents to safety. Yagi formed over the sea to the east of the Philippine archipelago on Sept 1. On gaining strength, it became a tropical storm and swept across Luzon, the most populous island in the Philippines, killing at least 16 people and injuring 13. The storm grew dramatically stronger late in the week, becoming the world’s most powerful tropical cyclone in 2024 after the Category 5 Atlantic hurricane Beryl, and the most severe in the Pacific basin in 2024. As of 0100 GMT on Sept 7, Yagi was spinning towards northern Vietnam over the Gulf of Tonkin. Maximum wind speeds had eased slightly to the levels of a Category 3 typhoon from Category 4, coming in at 187 kmh, according to Chinese meteorological authorities. REUTERS, AFP