1 million flee as Typhoon Chan-Hom hits south-east China

A typhoon with winds up to 100 mph has hit the Chinese coast south of Shanghai. Typhoon Chan-hom made landfall in Zhoushan, just east of the port of Ningbo in Zhejiang province, China Central Television reported. Almost one million people were evacuated, hundreds of flights cancelled and ships ordered back to port as it approached. China’s national weather service says it could be the most powerful storm the country has seen in more than 60 years.

We have sealed all our windows and doors and have stored food.

Liu Yimin, a villager in coastal Huagang village

The Chinese railway service said more than 100 trains between the region’s cities had also been suspended. Elsewhere in Zhejiang, 388 flights were cancelled in Hangzhou, 34 in Ningbo and 37 in Wenzhou, along with inter-city bus services. Elsewhere in Zhejiang, 388 flights were cancelled in Hangzhou, 34 in Ningbo and 37 in Wenzhou, along with inter-city bus services. Some 20 people were reportedly injured when Chan-hom passed over islands in southern Japan. It also dumped rain on the northern Philippines and was expected to pass by Taiwan, where several flights were suspended.

In the East China Sea, waves of ten metres in height have been reported and as these hit the coast, considerable damage is obviously possible.

Forecaster Rob McElwee

China typhoon Asia-Pacific