Chinese authorities have evacuated more than 800,000 people and cancelled hundreds of flights as typhoon Chan-hom with wind gusts up to 200 kph headed toward the country’s south-eastern coast on Saturday.
The typhoon is expected to hit land on Saturday afternoon between the coastal cities of Rui’an and Zhoushan, south of Shanghai, according to China’s national weather service.
Over 100 trains cancelled
Some 865,000 people were evacuated from coastal areas of Zhejiang province, the provincial Civil Affairs Bureau said. The provincial flood control bureau said 28,764 ships had been ordered back to port by late on Friday.
The country’s railway service said more than 100 trains between the region’s cities were cancelled through Sunday.
All flights into and out of Zhoushan were cancelled and bus services and speedboat ferry services halted. Elsewhere in Zhejiang, 388 flights were cancelled in Hangzhou, 34 in Ningbo and 37 in Wenzhou, according to the provincial government.
Chan-hom caused 20 injuries as it moved over islands in southern Japan, Kyodo reported, citing the Okinawa prefecture government.
The storm also dumped rain on the northern Philippines and was expected to pass by Taiwan, where several flights were suspended.
