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July 14, 2013

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300,000 are evacuated as Soulik batters mainland

CHINA evacuated more than 300,000 people and drafted in thousands of soldiers as a typhoon which brought torrential rain and powerful winds to Taiwan began to batter the mainland yesterday afternoon.

Typhoon Soulik hit China's southeastern Fujian Province at about 4pm, with wind speeds of up to 118 kilometers an hour, the National Meteorological Center said.

Ten-meter waves struck dams off the coast of Xiapu County at the city of Ningde, while billboards were destroyed and trees uprooted by winds.

The typhoon has slowed since it wreaked havoc in Taiwan, killing two people and injuring around 100, after it made landfall at 3am yesterday.

Last night it was moving northwest at 20 to 25 kilometers per hour and expected to reach Jiangxi Province after midnight, Xinhua news agency reported a local weather station as saying.

Fishing boats have been advised not to go to sea on China's southeastern coast, while operations in the ports of Fuzhou, Xiamen and Meizhou Bay, all in Fujian Province, have been suspended.

Some 5,500 soldiers have been dispatched across the southeast coast, reported the agency.

Public transport in Ningde City has been suspended and 142 flights have been canceled at Changle International Airport in Fuzhou, the capital of Fujian Province, since Friday night. A total of 31 high-speed train services in coastal areas of Fujian have also been suspended, China National Radio said.

More cancellations expected

In Shanghai, more than 40 flights scheduled yesterday to depart for Taiwan, Fuzhou and Wenzhou in Zhejiang Province were canceled. More cancellations are expected today.

The arrival of Soulik has also halted trains connecting Shanghai with cities including Wenzhou, Fuzhou and Xiamen. Tours to these cities were also halted.

At Xiaoshan International Airport of Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang Province, some 20 flights were canceled yesterday.




 

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