China cancels flights and ferries as Typhoon Matmo nears Hainan amid National Day holiday
HONG KONG, Oct 4 — Chinese authorities will cancel flights and ferries in Hainan tonight before Typhoon Matmo hits the southern province, likely disrupting a peak holiday travel period for the resort island.
All flights to and from the provincial capital Haikou’s international airport are expected to be cancelled from 11pm (1500 GMT/11pm Malaysian time), the official Xinhua news agency reported, as Matmo could bring strong winds and heavy rain to southern China, including Guangdong and Yunnan provinces.
The Maritime Safety Bureau in Sanya, Hainan’s resort city, also said all tourist ships and ferries would be prohibited in its jurisdiction from 6pm (1000 GMT).
Expected to make landfall tomorrow
Matmo, which caused flooding in the Philippines this week, is expected to make landfall around noon tomorrow after approaching east of Hainan with an expected maximum wind force of 42-48 meters per second.
Haikou planned to halt all schools, work and transport from this afternoon to tomorrow, Xinhua said, while Guangdong’s port city Zhanjiang would do the same starting today.
During the eight-day holiday that starts with China’s National Day on October 1, people are expected to make around 2.36 billion trips, with the daily average forecast to be up 3.2 per cent from the same period last year, Xinhua said on Wednesday.
Haikou had planned nearly 150 cultural events and more than 10 sports competitions during the holiday period, while Sanya had planned 170 art and tourism activities, according to Hainan’s official social media.
State media CCTV, citing meteorological experts, asked the public to stay vigilant as Matmo will have a serious impact on tourism and transportation during a busy period for travel.
The Hong Kong Observatory raised its tropical cyclone warning signal to Strong Wind Signal No. 3 at noon and said it would assess the need for higher signals later today.
The financial hub has issued 12 tropical cyclone warning signals this year, the most since 1946, the observatory said yesterday.
