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Typhoon Chanthu lands on South China

(Xinhua/chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2010-07-22 17:36

A woman runs on a road as dark clouds gain in the sky in Zhuhai, South China's Guangdong province, after Typhoon Chanthu lands on the province Thursday, July 22, 2010. [Photo/Xinhua]

GUANGZHOU - Chanthu, the third typhoon of the season, made landfall at the coastal area of Wuchuan City, South China's Guangdong Province, at around 1:45 pm Thursday, with winds near its center at 126 km per hour.

Local meteorologists said Chanthu brought strong gales and torrential rains to many parts of the province, particularly in the west. Potou Town of Zhanjiang City recorded precipitation of 78.2 mm since early afternoon.

No casualties or losses had been reported.

Chanthu strengthened into a typhoon from a strong tropical storm late Wednesday afternoon when it was 220 km southeast of Wenchang City of the island province of Hainan.

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The city was hit by strong gales and heavy rains as the tropical cyclone brushed by, according to Hainan meteorological authorities.

The Qiongzhou Strait between Guangdong and Hainan was closed to shipping from 10 am Wednesday.

At least 26 flights in and out of Haikou Meilan International Airport in Haikou, Hainan's provincial capital, had been canceled Thursday.

A spokesperson with the airport said passengers who had arrived at the airport were provided with free hotel services, and no passengers were left stranded at the airport.

Haikou's port and railway station had suspended services as the typhoon passed by. About 100 passengers and 450 motor vehicles were stranded at the port, Tang Hongbo, marketing manager with Xiuying Passenger Ferry Company under the the city's port authority, told Xinhua.

According to an earlier report, all 26,126 fishing boats around the island had returned to port.

No casualties had been reported in Hainan, either.

Meteorologists in Guangdong forecast that in the coming 24 hours, Chanthu would continue northwestward at a speed of 15-20 km per hour, moving over the neighboring Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Thursday night while weakening gradually.

A man lies on chairs at the Haikou Meilan International Airport in Haikou, capital of South China's Hainan province, as some flights had been canceled due to Typhoon Chanthu Thursday, July 22, 2010. [Photo/Xinhua]