Typhoon Lekima made landfall late Tuesday in south China's island province of Hainan, and weakened into severe tropical storm, Xinhua quoted local meteorological observatory as saying. Lekima landed at Jinmujiao near Sanya city in the southeast of the island at 11 p.m. Tuesday, packing winds of up to 118.8 km per hour, said the Hainan Meteorological Observatory. Lekima is moving west-northwest and is expected to enter the Beibu Bay area early Wednesday. Around 100,000 people in Hainan were evacuated ahead of the arrival of Lekima. More than 20,000 fishing boats were recalled to harbor. Sluice gates at 17 reservoirs in the province were opened to divert possible flood water, according to the Hainan Provincial Headquarters of Flood, Typhoon and Drought Control. Lekima, the 15th one this year, killed at least eight people in northern Philippines, triggering landslides, floods and big waves.
