China shuts down ports, railways, trains as typhoon In-Fa gets closer | World News

China shut down ports and railways on Saturday in anticipation of Typhoon In-Fa, which would be the sixth typhoon to hit this year. According to the provincial meteorological department, In-Fa is currently located about 395 km southeast of Xiangshan County in Zhejiang, with a maximum wind force of 144 km per hour.

The typhoon is expected to make landfall in the eastern or northeastern coastal areas of Zhejiang province, south of Shanghai, between the afternoon and night on Sunday. The storm had sustained winds of 155 kph (95 mph) with gusts up to 191 kph (120 mph) as it moved northwest away from Taiwan, the meteorological department said. Chinese authorities have issued a level III alert, the third-highest, for the typhoon.

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The airport in the provincial capital of Hangzhou, southwest of Shanghai, cancelled 90% of flights on Sunday and was expected to cancel more on Monday, the newspaper Zhejiang Daily reported on its website. Large container ships were evacuated from Yangshan Port in Shanghai, fearing strong winds would reach 89 to 102 kph. Train service in parts of the Yangtze River Delta region around Shanghai will also be suspended from Saturday to Thursday, Xinhua said. AFP reported that authorities in Shanghai have closed many parks and museums as a precaution and cautioned people to stay indoors.

The Chinese province of Henan witnessed unprecedented flooding this week following a torrential rain, in which 58 people have died, more than 495,000 people have been evacuated, and millions had been trapped without access to food and water. State media warned that In-Fa could bring with it even more torrential downpour in inundated parts of the province.