A quarter of a million people have been evacuated in southern China and Vietnam and many flights canceled due to the arrival of a cyclone, according to local authorities.
Nearly 230,000 people were evacuated on Monday in southern China and Vietnam and many flights canceled due to the arrival of a cyclone, according to local authorities.
Cyclone Talim made landfall on the coast of southeast China’s Guangdong Province around 10:20 p.m., with winds exceeding 136 km/h, the Chinese meteorological service said. Powerful winds and heavy rains are expected to sweep along the coastline of China’s southern provinces of Guangdong and Hainan.
An orange alert has been issued. This is the second highest level on a scale counting four.
Canceled flights
The storm is expected to lose speed on Tuesday morning and “weaken and dissipate in northern Vietnam” on Wednesday, forecast the weather services. According to scientists, cyclones are expected to become more and more powerful due to global warming.
Nearly 230,000 people have been evacuated in Guangdong province, including more than 8,000 aquaculture farm workers who have been brought ashore, Xinhua News Agency said.
More than 1,000 travelers were affected by flight cancellations and delays, the Hong Kong airport authority said. Nearby Macau airport canceled 80 flights.
According to FlightAware, a website that tracks air traffic, more than 240 flights have been canceled in the region. Ships around Hainan Island have been urged to return to port quickly as waves can reach six meters in height in the coming hours.
In neighboring Vietnam, authorities were preparing to evacuate 30,000 people in the provinces of Quang Ninh and Hai Phong, which should be the most affected from Monday afternoon.
The cyclone “could be one of the most important to affect the Gulf of Tonkin in recent years”, warned the Vietnamese organization in charge of disaster management.
Source: BFM TV
