Typhoon Pakhar makes landfall in China

Pakhar, the 14th typhoon to hit China this year, today made landfall in the city of Taishan in Guangdong province bringing gales of up to 33 meters per second, days after Hato left a trail of death and destruction.
Pakhar, named after a freshwater fish that lives in the lower Mekong River, made landfall four days after typhoon Hato landed on Wednesday in Zhuhai, some 80-km away from Taishan.
The meteorological centre of Zhuhai said the city would see rainstorms and fierce winds today.
A temporary closing of local companies, government agencies, schools and public places started yesterday.
China's National Meteorological Center (NMC) said that Pakhar would move northwestward, entering Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in the evening while losing strength.

The cities in the province that suffered from typhoon Hato last week issued a red alert today, the highest level of warning against this natural disaster, the report said.

The agency forecast Guangdong, Fujian and Hainan provinces as well as Guangxi would see torrential rain from today to tomorrow afternoon.
Hainan local maritime authorities suspended the service of roll-on/roll-off passenger ships and cross-sea trains running in and out of the province. A total of 24,124 fishing boats have been put into harbor.
Ma Jianhua, official with the Yangtze River flood control headquarters, said Hato had brought about the obvious rising of water levels in the Yangtze.

The headquarters has dispatched personnel to Sichuan and Yunnan to aid flood control.
In Yunnan province, two more people have been found dead in disasters triggered by Hato, bringing the death toll in the province to five.
Six people went missing after houses collapsed in a flood caused by heavy rain on Friday in Yanjin county. Rescuers found two bodies in the debris yesterday and today respectively.
Meanwhile in Hong Kong, the airport authority confirmed that about 30 flights had been diverted to other destinations.
At least 300 flights in total in Hong Kong were either cancelled or delayed due to the storm, with 50 planes left stuck on the tarmac as the city was pummelled by its second severe storm in a week.

Hato, that has claimed at least 16 lives, was the 13th typhoon to hit China this year.