Beijing: Authorities closed schools and suspended ferry routes in eastern China's Fujian province on Thursday after forecasters warned of heavy rain brought by Typhoon Saudel, which made its third landfall in China on Fujian's coast after earlier lashing neighbouring Zhejiang province twice.

Schools in Fuzhou and Quanzhou halted in-person activities, while some tourist attractions including theme parks were temporarily closed in Fuzhou. A total of 24 passenger ferry routes along Fujian's coast were suspended, state broadcaster CCTV reported. The province's emergency management authority warned of rainstorms and secondary disasters including flash floods and landslides.

Extreme weather has wreaked havoc in parts of China in recent months, with a slew of typhoons bringing torrential rainfall and triggering the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people. Around 247,700 people in high-risk areas in neighbouring Fujian had been evacuated last week. At least 159 people were killed in southern China's Guangxi region in July after Typhoon Maysak triggered devastating floods.

A catastrophic flood sliced through the border area between Nepal and China's Tibet region last week, killing more than 1,200 people and leaving more than 4,750 missing as of Thursday. Scientists warn the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events will increase as the planet continues to heat up because of fossil fuel emissions.

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