BEIJING: Chinese authorities will cancel flights and close businesses on Saturday as Typhoon Matmo hurtles towards the country's southern Hainan and Guangdong provinces during the busy National Day travel period.
According to China's National Meteorological Centre (NMC), Matmo is expected to make landfall on Sunday morning, the middle of an eight-day public holiday when many domestic tourists flock to tropical Hainan Island.
All flights at Meilan International Airport in Haikou, Hainan's provincial capital, are scheduled to be cancelled from 11 pm (1500 GMT) on Saturday, state media outlet Xinhua said.
The airport was originally expected to handle more than 632,000 passengers between October 1 to 8 for the combined National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, according to Hainan Airport Group, which operates the airport.
Haikou also plans to suspend schools, public transport and construction from Saturday afternoon, while businesses will also be ordered closed.
Both Hainan and Guangdong provinces have upgraded their emergency typhoon response, with authorities warning that heavy rains and strong winds could trigger flash floods and landslides.
They have also cancelled many rail services and ordered fishing boats back to port.
Downpours are also expected in Yunnan province and the Guangxi region, both also in China's south.
Matmo is likely to bring winds of up to 45 metres per second, or 160 kilometres per hour (100 miles per hour), before its intensity gradually weakens after landfall, the NMC said Saturday - AFP
