SHANGHAI:
One of the most powerful typhoons to strike eastern China in decades disrupted air, rail and sea transport on Saturday after forcing the evacuation of more than a million people from the provinces of Zhejiang and Jiangsu, state media reported.
Typhoon Chan-Hom was packing winds of 162kph as it hit the city of Zhoushan, slowing from an earlier speed of 173kph.
In Shanghai, the commercial capital, all flights out of Pudong International Airport and Hongqiao Airport were cancelled because of the typhoon, state broadcaster CCTV said. The typhoon brought heavy rain to Shanghai as well as the provinces of Anhui and Fujian, besides Jiangsu and Zhejiang, the weather service said.
Apart from the closure of schools and the suspension of flights and trains, more than 51,000 ships had returned to port, Xinhua said, citing local authorities.
Typhoons are common at this time of year in the South China Sea.