Cities in eastern China have suspended ferry services and closed schools as they brace for the arrival of Typhoon Hinnamnor, a strong storm that is also affecting neighbouring Taiwan, Japan and Korea.
Shanghai halted ferry services on Sunday and deployed more than 50,000 police officers to aid with rescues and guide traffic away from danger areas.
The eastern business hub of Wenzhou has also ordered all classes to be suspended on Monday.
Hinnamnor is forecast to move gradually north into the East China Sea with maximum sustained winds of 109mph.
Evacuations and flight cancellations have been ordered in Japan’s southern Okinawa island. The storm is also expected to bring intense rainfall to the Korean peninsula, raising the possibility of flooding.
China’s National Meteorological Centre issued a yellow typhoon warning at 10am on Sunday local time, forecasting heavy rain in north-eastern Zhejiang, Shanghai and self-governing Taiwan.
Ships have been told to return to port to take shelter from the wind, and the centre has also urged people against large gatherings both indoors and outdoors.
In Japan, the typhoon lashed Okinawa and nearby islands with heavy rain and fierce winds, threatening flooding and grounding more than 100 flights connecting the islands and parts of the main southern island of Kyushu.
Footage on Japan’s NHK national television showed trees being violently shaken by the storm, with fierce rainfall hitting the pavement.
In Taiwan, more than 600 residents in New Taipei, Taoyuan and Hsinchu counties were evacuated to nearby shelters on Saturday amid the heavy rain and strong winds, according to the island’s Central News Agency.
The typhoon caused a landslide in Taiwan’s Miaoli county, and blew over some 100 roadside trees. About 40 flights and more than 100 ferry services across Taiwan were cancelled on Saturday.
