Typhoon races towards China

2006-08-03 10:22

Beijing - Typhoon Prapiroon raced toward south China on Thursday, forcing the evacuation of tens of thousands of people and causing cancelled flights and transport chaos across the region.

The typhoon, upgraded from a tropical storm on Wednesday after killing six people in the Philippines, was headed in the direction of Guangdong province after skirting Hong Kong and Macau.

Trees were uprooted and scaffolding ripped down in Hong Kong, where 14 cargo containers were tipped over at the city's massive shipping terminal. At least four flights to Taiwan had to be cancelled, airport authorities said.

The Hong Kong Observatory said winds up to 60km an hour had hit Hong Kong as the typhoon came within 300km of the southern Chinese territory.

In nearby Macau, authorities issued the number eight typhoon signal, alerting residents to stay at home as the storm brought high winds and heavy showers.

On the mainland, the Chinese meteorological administration said up to 18cm of rain was expected to fall over the next few days.

It said 65 000 people had been evacuated from Guangdong, Hainan island directly to the south and Guangxi region to the west.

Guangdong authorities warned the province to be prepared for widespread flooding, high waves, landslides and the collapse of houses, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

Rail services and flights had also been suspended in many areas, Xinhua said.

- AFP