Typhoon Dolphin triggers China evacuations and flight cuts

Typhoon Dolphin prompted evacuations, transport suspensions and more than 1,000 flight cancellations as China's eastern coast prepared on Sunday, August 9, for the storm's expected arrival.

State broadcaster CCTV reported that nearly 1,400 flights in and out of Shanghai's two main passenger airports had been cancelled on Sunday. It said Hangzhou airport in nearby Zhejiang province also cancelled 270 inbound and outbound flights.

China's National Meteorological Centre issued a red typhoon alert, its most severe warning, on Sunday morning. It forecast "extraordinary torrential rain" in parts of central and eastern Zhejiang, with heavy rain also expected in Shanghai and parts of Fujian, Anhui and Jiangsu through Monday afternoon.

The storm is expected to make landfall late Sunday or early Monday in Zhejiang or neighbouring Fujian, then weaken as it moves northwest over eastern China.

In Fujian, nearly 99,000 people had been relocated from risky areas by Saturday evening ahead of the storm, state news agency Xinhua reported. Xinhua said services on more than 200 ferry routes were suspended in Zhejiang and Fujian, offshore work had been halted and 474 construction vessels had been called to port by Friday morning. State media also reported some train suspensions in affected areas on Sunday.

Typhoon Dolphin had already brought heavy rain and strong winds to Japan's Okinawa. The Okinawa government said seven people suffered minor injuries. Regional utility Okinawa Electric Power said 5,290 households were without electricity by Sunday afternoon.

In Taiwan, dozens of ferry services were suspended and more than 180 flights were cancelled as the storm brought downpours and strong winds to the island's north on Sunday.