Typhoon Wipha makes landfall in south China's Hainan

HAIKOU, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- Wipha, the seventh typhoon this year, made landfall at around 1:50 a.m. Thursday in the coastal regions of the city of Wenchang, south China's Hainan Province, with gales of up to 23 meters per second at its eye, according to local authorities.

Wipha is expected to move northwest at a speed of around 10 km per hour and make landfall again in Leizhou Peninsula in Guangdong Province around noon Thursday, the Hainan provincial meteorological bureau said.

Hainan has seen heavy rain from Tuesday evening till Thursday morning, with maximum rainfall of 276.1 mm within 24 hours in Haikou, the provincial capital.

No casualties had been reported as of 7 a.m. Thursday.