简体中文
Typhoon Linfa made landfall on Thursday in south China's Guangdong Province, where trains have been suspended, schools closed and thousands of fishing boats recalled to port.
Linfa made landfall in Jiadong Township of Shanwei City at 12:15 p.m., packing winds of up to 35 meters per second, according to the provincial meteorological station.
It has weakened into a strong tropical storm and is moving westward.
Downpours brought by the typhoon have flooded some regions in Shanwei and also cut electricity to about 370,000 households there and its neighboring city of Shantou.
In Shanwei, the typhoon affected 710,000 residents, 31,110 of whom have been evacuated to safety, damaged 6,739 houses and inflicted an economic loss of 248 million yuan (40 million U.S. dollars) by Thursday afternoon, the local government said in a statement.
The typhoon has not caused any injuries or deaths.
Due to Linfa and the forthcoming typhoon Chan-Hom, 66 trains linking Shenzhen and Hangzhou, capital of the eastern Zhejiang Province, were halted on Thursday and another 14 are scheduled to be halted on Friday and Saturday.
Gales and torrential rain have hit Shantou City, about 100 km from the landing point, since Wednesday night. Trees in Shantou were brought down by strong winds while three main bridges to Shanwei and an offshore island county have all been closed as of Thursday morning.
With a complex route and changing intensity, Linfa was expected to make landfall in coastal regions stretching from Shantou to Zhangpu City in Fujian Province.
About 10,400 fishing vessels returned to ports in five cities in Guangdong.
The province issued a yellow alert for Linfa on Wednesday, closing kindergartens, elementary and middle schools in 15 counties.
Meanwhile, another Typhoon, Chan-Hom, is approaching east China fast.
As of 11 a.m. Thursday the center of Chan-Hom was located 1,000 km southeast of Zhejiang Province's Wenzhou City, packing winds up to 40 meters per second. It moved 70 km northwest in the last three hours, maintaining the intensity, according to the Zhejiang Meteorological Station.
Chan-Hom is expected to land in Zhejiang late on Friday night or Saturday morning as a super typhoon, according to the station.
All 7,672 fishing boats in Wenzhou were called back to harbor as the city issued a yellow alert on Thursday morning. Torrential rain is expected in the city from Friday night to Saturday.
Zhejiang suspended its direct shipping route to Taiwan on Thursday for safety reasons. Travelers who have bought tickets can reschedule for free or get a full refund, according to the county government of Yuhuan.
Railway authorities in the eastern city of Shanghai plan to suspend all passenger trains along the coast on Friday and Saturday.
On Wednesday, the China National Commission for Disaster Reduction and the Ministry of Civil Affairs urged Anhui, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Shanghai and Zhejiang to set up dedicated teams to track the two typhoons and disseminate information. Enditem
