4th Ld-Writethru: China Focus: Typhoon Chan-Hom lands in east China, wreaks havoc

Typhoon Chan-Hom made landfall on Saturday afternoon in east China, bringing gales and heavy rain to Zhejiang and neighboring provinces and forcing evacuation of over 1 million people.

Chan-Hom, the ninth typhoon this year, landed at 4:40 p.m. in Zhujiajian Township of Putuo District in the island city of Zhoushan, packing winds of up to 45 meters per second, according to the provincial meteorological station.

Zhejiang was battered by gales and torrential rain, resulting in hundreds of flights being canceled and many highways closed, local authorities said Saturday.

So far, no casualties have been reported. More than 710,000 people and 81,460 hectares of farmland have been affected, according to the provincial flood control and drought prevention headquarters.

Some 94 houses collapsed and 11,224 enterprises closed due to flooding. Direct economic losses are estimated at 1.947 billion yuan (318 million U.S. dollars), according to the headquarters.

The worst hit sector is agriculture with an economic losses of 1.44 billion yuan, it said.

Power supply to more than 200,000 household in 139 villages in the coastal city of Ningbo has been cut off since Friday night. More than 2,000 workers have been dispatched to repair the lines.

As of Saturday morning, nine counties had recorded more than 100 mm of rain since Friday. Lai'ao Village in Sanmen County reported a record 404 mm of rainfall, according to the headquarters.

In Hepoling Village in Xiangshan County, water in a reservoir has overflowed to submerge the nearby roads after a night's torrential rain.

"The typhoon has prostrated our bamboo woods and flooded the watermelon farms," said Tang Xiongwei, party secretary of the village.

As of 3 p.m. Saturday, some 1.07 million people in the province had been evacuated and 29,641 ships recalled to port. The water level of 51 large and medium-sized reservoirs had exceeded the danger level.

Over 600 flights were canceled on Saturday in the cities of Hangzhou, Ningbo, Wenzhou and Taizhou. More than 7,300 coaches and all passenger ships also suspended service.

Several high-speed trains starting from or arriving at the cities of Hangzhou and Ningbo were also canceled on Saturday.

China Southern Airlines and Air China, the two major carriers, canceled 339 and 144 flights respectively in east China on Saturday.

In neighboring Jiangsu Province, more than 78,900 people have been evacuated and 22,423 ships recalled to port. Many flights were canceled out of Nantong and Nanjing.

Shanghai has also evacuated 163,000 people and called back 3,000 ships to harbor as the city experienced rainstorms and strong gales on Saturday, the city's flood control authority said.

It said the typhoon prostrated more than 3,000 trees in Shanghai and forced the city's subway to suspend service on some stretches. More than 1,000 flights have been canceled at the city's two airports. Endi