Typhoon Maysak makes landfall in South China's Hainan, disrupting transport

HAIKOU, -- Typhoon Maysak, the 10th typhoon of the year, made landfall on the coast of South China's Hainan province on Friday evening, suspending train, ferry and flight services and closing schools in some areas.

The tropical storm came ashore at around 6:20 pm in Yelin township of Lingshui Li autonomous county, according to the Hainan provincial meteorological bureau. At landfall, it packed maximum winds of 23 meters per second near its center.

All train services to and from Hainan were suspended for Friday and Saturday due to the typhoon. Sanya Phoenix International Airport halted flights from 5 pm Friday. Ferry services for passengers and vehicles across the Qiongzhou Strait were suspended from 2 am the same day, with the halt expected to last one to two days, depending on weather conditions. Schools and child-care facilities in Sanya and Ledong Li Autonomous county were also closed.

The typhoon is forecast to move northwest, passing through Baoting, Wuzhishan, Baisha and Danzhou before entering the Beibu Gulf, the meteorological authorities said.