Typhoon Gaemi hits Taiwan, moves to mainland

Some high-speed trains bound for Zhejiang and Fujian provinces from Guangdong province were suspended on Thursday, as typhoon Gaemi approaches, according to local railway operators. It is the third typhoon this year.

Trains between Shenzhen and Hangzhou, as well as those on the line between Meizhou and Shantou in Guangdong were suspended, China Railway (Guangzhou) Group said.

Gaemi made its initial landfall in northeastern Taiwan early on Thursday, leaving two dead and 201 injured. Currently, it is forecast to move northwest at an estimated speed of about 15 kilometers per hour and is expected to make landfall along the Chinese mainland coast from Lianjiang to Xiuyu in Fujian sometime between Thursday afternoon and evening. It is then projected to continue moving further inland to the north.

In areas not affected by the typhoon, or where its impact has waned, the railway operator has strategically adjusted its transportation capacity.

Eighty high-speed trains between Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Chaozhou and Shantou were added on Thursday to meet the travel demands of short-distance passengers during the summer travel rush.

As of 10 am on Thursday, 73 passenger ferry routes including four cross-Strait routes along the coast of Fujian — 203 passenger ferries altogether — have suspended operations.

Local maritime authorities in Fujian have issued more than 2,000 maritime typhoon alerts, evacuating 1,334 vessels from affected areas and relocating more than 4,000 maritime personnel.

Also, 92 marine projects at sea have suspended work, and construction vessels and personnel have been evacuated.