CHINA / Regional

Typhoon Prapiroon slams into S. China
(AP/Xinhua)
Updated: 2006-08-03 21:44

SHANGHAI - Typhoon Prapiroon slammed into southern China on Thursday, bringing heavy winds and rain as thousands of people were evacuated, state media said.

Prapiroon made landfall at 7:20 p.m. (1120 GMT) in a large swath of coastal Guangdong province, including the cities of Yangjiang and Dianbai, Sina.com said on its Web site.

Two young woman's umbrella is blew sideways as they walk through the wind on a Hong Kong street Thursday, Aug. 3, 2006. Typhoon Prapiroon slammed into southern China on Thursday, bringing heavy winds and rain as thousands of people were evacuated, state media said. [AP]

It was moving at 15 kph (9 mph) to 20 kph (12 mph) in a northwest direction, Sina.com said.

Strong winds and heavy rains were forecast from Thursday to Saturday for large parts of Guangdong and Hainan, China's southernmost island and a popular tourist destination.

Authorities evacuated 406,343 people have been moved to safety in the southern provinces of Hainan and Guangdong and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

The State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters said on Thursday that 62,023 vessels from Guangdong, Hainan and Guangxi had returned to harbor as Prapiroon was approaching faster than previously forecast.

Guangdong has suspended all passenger railway services across the Qiongzhou Strait to the island province of Hainan.

The Guangdong Provincial Meteorological Station forecast Prapiroon would strike the coastal area between Taishan City and Xuwen County in Guangdong from Thursday afternoon to Friday morning, packing heavy rains and strong winds.

The autonomous region of Guangxi, west of Guangdong, is also on high alert as Prapiroon is expected to be the first typhoon to hit the area since 2003.

Its capital, Nanning, had already suffered thunderstorms and strong winds on Wednesday evening. More than 84,000 people in Guangxi were relocated.

Prapiroon is within 300 kilometers of the coast of western Guangdong. Its winds are reaching 12 degrees on the Beaufort Scale near its center.

It is forecast to move westward at 15 kilometers per hour in the next 24 hours and will gain strength.

Heavy rains hit most parts of Guangdong from Wednesday and the typhoon will bring rainstorms to western Guangdong and nearby areas from Thursday to Saturday. The typhoon will also bring force 9-12 gales to sea areas and to coastal areas of western Guangdong.


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