East China braces for typhoon In-fa, cancelling flights

Gulf Today Report

Chinese commercial hub Shanghai and neighbouring coastal regions cancelled all flights after typhoon In-fa hit the east coast on Sunday.

According to state broadcaster CCTV said, citing the China Meteorological Administration, the typhoon landed in the Putuo district of the city of Zhoushan, a major port in the east coast province of Zhejiang, at 12:30pm (0430 GMT) on Sunday.

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Airline flights and trains were cancelled and the public was ordered to stay indoors as the typhoon made landfall in Zhoushan in Zhejiang province, state TV reported, citing the national weather agency.

People walk with umbrellas amid inclement weather in Ningbo, China, on Sunday. AFP

Chinese authorities have issued a level III alert — the third-highest — for the storm, while more than 100 trains travelling through the region have been cancelled, according to China Railway. It forecast rainfall of 250-350 millimeters (10-14 inches).

The floods, with some trapped without fresh food or water for days have affected millions and others lifted to safety in excavator buckets.

More than 495,000 people have been evacuated, according to the Henan government, with the flooding causing billions of dollars in losses.

A passenger sits on her luggage watching passenger airplanes parked on the tarmac in Shanghai, China, on Sunday. AP

The typhoon was packing winds of 155 kilometres (95 miles) per hour and gusts up to 191kph (120 mph) when it dumped rain on Taiwan. It knocked down tree branches but no deaths or injuries were reported.

The Zhejiang emergency management department upgraded its typhoon response to the highest level on Saturday, closing schools and markets, and suspending road traffic when necessary.

Both Shanghai, home to about 26 million people, and Hangzhou to the south cancelled inbound and outbound flights from Saturday, and many train services in the region were also halted.

People seek shelter from the rain and wind along a street in Ningbo, China, on Sunday. AFP

Meanwhile in central China, the death toll rose to 58 after record rains hit the major city of Zhengzhou on Tuesday, state TV reported. The rains flooded a Zhengzhou subway tunnel where at least 12 people died, knocked out power to a hospital and other buildings and left streets filled with mud.

Rescuers used bulldozers and rubber boats to evacuate residents of areas that still were underwater, according to the Shanghai news outlet The Paper.

China has suffered an annual flood season for millennia, but the record rainfall in Henan has prompted questions about how China's cities could be better prepared for freak weather events, which experts say are happening with increased frequency and intensity due to climate change.