Typhoon Kai-Tak halts transport services

BEIJING - Shipping lines and railway services in coastal areas in South China have been suspended as the Typhoon Kai-Tak approaches.

According to the meteorological observatory of Guangdong Province, Kai-Tak is expected to land in coastal regions from Shenzhen city to Xuwen county in the province from Friday morning to afternoon, bringing heavy rain and gales.

Guangzhou Railway (Group) Corporation said that train services crossing the Qiongzhou Strait, linking the southernmost island province of Hainan and Guangdong province have been suspended due to forthcoming rainfall.

Tickets for Friday travel on the high-speed line from Guangzhou to cities of Zhuhai, Shenzhen and Hong Kong had been removed from sale, said the corporation.

As of 8 pm, more than 18,900 people working on the sea had been back on land while 51,000 vessels returned to harbor, according to the provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters.

Tropical storm Kai-Tak has developed into a typhoon, with the national observatory raising its emergency response to Level II from IV.

The State Oceanic Administration issued a red alert for Kai-Tak, the highest alert in the country's four-tier color-coded weather warning system on Thursday afternoon.

In Hainan province, the provincial meteorological observatory forecast torrential rain will batter western, northern and southern parts of the province from this evening.

Fishing boats and fishermen have been forced to return to harbor, and relief materials and rescue personnel have been fully prepared to mitigate the typhoon's impact, said Yang Yunxian, director of the provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters.

As of 4 pm, shipping lines and other works at every port have been suspended, according to the Hainan Maritime Safety Administration.

In Beihai city of South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, the shipping route linking the cities of Beihai and Haikou has also been closed on Thursday, authorities of Beihai city said.

The route from Beihai to Weizhou Island, China's biggest volcanic island will close on Friday, it added.

Since the start of August, several typhoons, including Saola, Damrey and Haikui, have hit Southeast China, leaving 51 dead and 21 missing, according to the country's Ministry of Civil Affairs.