Haikui continues to wreak havoc in Fujian

At least two firefighters and a police officer were killed as Typhoon Haikui has hammered East China's Fujian province since Tuesday, local authorities said.

Haikui, the 11th typhoon this year, has caused floods, downed trees, damaged cars, and shut down schools and transport, as people were instructed to remain indoors in Fuzhou, Fujian province, on Wednesday.

According to the Fujian Provincial Fire and Rescue Brigade on Wednesday, two firefighters, Chen Zuyan, 31, and 26-year-old Hu Xudong, died after their fire truck, carrying nine people, was swept away in a flash flood on Tuesday.

Ke Jiayong, chief of a police substation, was also on board the fire truck. He was found dead on Wednesday. The six others have been rescued and are in stable condition.

On Wednesday, all passenger trains departing and arriving in Fuzhou, including train services from both Fuzhou Railway Station and Fuzhou South Railway Station, remained suspended to ensure passenger safety, according to China Railway Nanchang Group.

Passengers can refund their tickets within a month, or use them when services resume, the railway authority said.

Fuzhou's public schools and kindergartens also remained suspended on Wednesday.

Government departments in Fuzhou urged residents and tourists to stay indoors unless it was absolutely necessary to go out.

Fuzhou, Xiamen, Putian and other coastal cities have been battered by heavy rain and strong winds since Tuesday, when the typhoon made landfall in southern Fujian and eastern Guangdong.

In Fuzhou, nearly 5.13 million residents in 147 townships were affected by floods, with more than 36,000 having been relocated, authorities said. A total of 4,195 hectares of farmland had been flooded and 67 houses collapsed while another 919 were damaged.

Chen Mujin, a security guard at a housing estate in Fuzhou's Gulou district, said three elevators had been damaged after the estate was flooded.

"It will take more than a week to repair the elevators," said Chen, adding the flood has stranded many residents at home.

A local property manager surnamed You said she had been on duty until dawn on Tuesday. The water level reached a record high and almost rose to the entrance of the garage, she said. The ground floor of the 32-story building was constructed about 3 meters higher than the road surface, she added.

Affected by Haikui, major cities in the eastern part of Guangdong province, including Shantou, Chaozhou, Meizhou and Jieyang also experienced heavy rainfall on Wednesday.

Local governments have required relevant departments in Haikui-hit cities to get ready to prevent and cope with possible disasters, including flooding, mountain torrents, mudslides and burst river banks to prevent and reduce casualties and economic losses in the coming days.

Alaaddin Colak, a Turkish businessman in Fuzhou, said the Wusi Road area was flooded on Wednesday morning due to the heavy rainfall, and all public transport services have been suspended.

"The bank, coffee shops near my restaurant, have all closed because of the flooding," he added.