Shanghai cancels flights as Typhoon In-fa approaches

Beijing - The typhoon earlier dumped rain on Taiwan and knocked down tree branches but no deaths or injuries were reported.

Shanghai's two international airports cancelled all flights and authorities banned outdoor activities on Sunday as eastern China braced for the arrival of Typhoon In-fa.

In-fa was forecast to hit Zhejiang province, south of Shanghai, on Sunday afternoon, with rainfall of 250-350mm, the national weather bureau announced.

“People should not willingly go outdoors,” the bureau said.

The typhoon earlier dumped rain on Taiwan and knocked down tree branches but no deaths or injuries were reported. It was packing sustained winds of 155kmph with gusts up to 191kmph.

Hundreds of flights at Shanghai Pudong and Shanghai Hongqiao airports were canceled and more were expected to be canceled on Monday, state TV reported on its website. Shanghai closed parks and the riverfront Bund district, a popular tourist area.

The international airport in Hangzhou, southwest of Shanghai, also canceled flights.

Train service to Ningbo, a port city south of Shanghai, was suspended, according to state TV. The Zhoushan Bridge that connects islands near Ningbo was closed. Schools, markets and businesses in Zhejiang province were ordered earlier to close.

On Saturday, large container ships were moved from Yangshan Port in Shanghai, one of the world’s busiest shipping centers. State TV said a ship lock in Nantong, which abuts Shanghai to the north, stopped releasing vessels into the Yangtze River.

Meanwhile in central China, the death toll rose to 58 after record rains hit the major city of Zhengzhou on Tuesday, state TV reported. The rains flooded a Zhengzhou subway tunnel where at least 12 people died, knocked out power to a hospital and other buildings and left streets filled with mud.

Rescuers used bulldozers and rubber boats to evacuate residents of areas that still were underwater, according to the Shanghai news outlet The Paper.