School, work are suspended in parts of China as Typhoon Yagi edges closer

Hong Kong, Sept. 6: School and work were suspended Thursday in parts of southern China as Typhoon Yagi closed in on an island province with the potential to be the most powerful storm to hit the area in a decade.

The Hong Kong Observatory raised a No. 8 typhoon signal, the third-highest warning under the city’s weather system, on Thursday evening. It said the super typhoon, with maximum sustained winds of 210 kilometres per hour (130 miles per hour), would skirt around 300 kilometres (190 miles) southwest of the financial hub on Friday morning.

Kindergartens, special schools and evening classes were already cancelled in the semi-autonomous city while the weather remained calm Thursday morning. The Education Bureau announced the city's schools would be suspended on Friday to ensure students' safety.

Dozens of flights were also cancelled on Thursday and Friday in the city, with care centres for children and elderly residents closed. About 30 government-organized temporary shelters were opened to people in need.

The observatory said the No.8 signal is expected to remain in force until at least Friday noon, meaning the city's stock market will likely be closed on Friday.

China's official news agency, Xinhua, said tens of thousands of fishing boats returned to ports in Hainan and elsewhere to seek shelter, along with nearly 70,000 fishers. State broadcaster CCTV said some train services were suspended, starting Thursday evening.

Hainan Meteorological Service forecast that the typhoon will make landfall Friday along the region from Qionghai in Hainan to Dianbai in neighbouring Guangdong province. Meteorological authorities said it could be the strongest typhoon to hit Hainan in the past 10 years, Xinhua reported. The tropical island is a popular tourist destination known for its holiday resorts and duty-free shopping allowance.

In Guangdong, all coastal tourist attractions and beaches were ordered to close from Wednesday evening, with dozens of flights cancelled at the airport in Zhuhai city, state media China Daily reported. (AP)