Thousands displaced as Typhoon Matmo makes landfall in south China

By Berk Kutay Gokmen

ISTANBUL (AA) - Typhoon Matmo, the 21st named storm of the 2025 Pacific typhoon season, made landfall at around 2.50 pm (0650GMT) on Sunday in south China’s Guangdong province, prompting the evacuation of thousands of people.

The typhoon struck the eastern coast of Xuwen county in Zhanjiang city with maximum wind speeds near its center reaching 42 meters per second (nearly 93 miles per hour), state-run Xinhua News reported, citing the local meteorological service.

Before the storm struck, the authorities in Guangdong elevated the typhoon emergency response to the highest level, with more than 150,000 people evacuated to ensure their safety.

All coastal passenger ferry services in the southern Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region were suspended, and around 26,000 tourists on Weizhou Island were evacuated.

Operations at coastal projects and ports have been halted, and 4,024 personnel from ships and oil platforms were relocated.

The Guangxi maritime authority initiated the highest-level emergency response on Sunday morning, guiding 168 vessels to safer waters and securing 889 ships in port.

By Sunday afternoon, southern Hainan province had relocated over 197,000 people from high-risk zones, with a typhoon red alert still in effect.