International

Southern China drenched, flights cancelled as Haikui’s rain storms pound region

Published Thu, Sep 7, 2023 · 05:59 PM

THE remnants of Typhoon Haikui drenched southern China for a third day with rainstorms since making landfall, leading airports in Guangdong province to cancel hundreds of flights on Thursday (Sep 7) though winds had weakened.

Although storm clouds moved westward towards Guangdong, one of the country’s richest provinces, more downpours were still forecast for the south-eastern province of Fujian, where state media reported economic losses had reached 5.054 billion yuan (S$942.7 million) since the typhoon made landfall on Tuesday.

In Guangdong’s capital Guangzhou, Baiyun Airport, one of the busiest in China, cancelled 316 flights and delayed 271, said flight-tracking app Flight Master. Shenzhen’s Baoan Airport cancelled 176 flights and delayed half its flights; Zhuhai’s Jinwan Airport cancelled 91 and delayed 74.

Torrential rain reportedly led to rivers overflowing in the Guangdong town Tangxi, and some villages suffered severe waterlogging. Over 350 people, including elderly, women and children were relocated from low-lying areas, state media reported.

The China Meteorological Administration forecast rainstorms in central and eastern Guangdong, the southern part of Jiangxi province, southern areas in Hunan province, the north-eastern areas of the Guangxi region, and the central part of the island of Hainan, while northern parts of Guangdong and the south-eastern coast of the province were expected to be hit harder.

Flooding in parts of Fujian province during the past two days forced the evacuation of nearly 300,000 people and damaged more than 2,500 homes. Almost 10,000 hectares of crops in Fujian were inundated.