Tropical Storm Maysak hits southern China's Hainan, flights and ferries suspended

BEIJING - Tropical Storm Maysak lashed southern China's island province of Hainan on Friday (July 3), making landfall with maximum winds near its centre of 23 metres per second (51 mph) and forcing flight, rail and ferry suspensions.

• Maysak hit Hainan's southwestern coast at around 6.20pm, China's National Meteorological Centre said.

• The storm is expected to bring torrential rain to Hainan, as well as Guangdong, Guizhou and Hunan provinces and the Guangxi region.

• In Hainan, some areas could see rainfall up to 350 mm within 24 hours, the national weather forecaster said.

• Hainan's Sanya Phoenix International Airport suspended takeoffs and landings from 5pm, after 92 flights were cancelled by 11.30am, while all round-island high-speed rail services were halted on Friday, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

• Passenger ferry services across the Qiongzhou Strait were suspended from 2am and were expected to remain halted for one to two days.

• Authorities urged stepped-up monitoring and evacuations from risk areas, calling flood prevention tasks "severe and complex."

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