Tropical Storm Tapah makes landfall in southern China, forcing evacuations and school closures

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HONG KONG (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of people were evacuated in southern China as Tropical Storm Tapah made landfall Monday, prompting school closures, flight cancellations and other disruptions.

The economic hub of Guangdong province near Hong Kong halted some train and ferry services ahead of the storm, according to the official Xinhua news agency. More than 200,000 people were evacuated across the province by Monday, according to the provincial department of emergency management.

After lashing Guangdong, the storm trekked to the northwest toward Wuzhou city in neighboring Guangxi province, unleashing heavy rains with more expected in coming days, the province's Meteorological Bureau said.

Forecasters at the China Meteorological Administration said landfall occurred near Taishan city in Guangdong at around 8:50 a.m. local time.

Hong Kong's observatory said Tapah was still packing maximum sustained winds near the center of about 68 miles (110 kph) shortly after landfall. The observatory also raised its storm warning signal to No. 8 or the third-highest in the city's weather alert system.

Before the observatory lowered its storm signal Monday afternoon, the financial hub saw about 100 flight cancelations, leaving some travelers to sleep in airport chairs while awaiting flight updates.

A runway at the airport was closed after an HK Express plane from Beijing ran across grass while landing. No injuries were reported and it was unclear whether the incident was weather-related, authorities said.

Twelve people were injured during the storm's passage and sent to hospitals, though no deaths were reported in the hours around and following landfall. The government received over 160 reports of toppled trees and three flooding reports in the city, with hundreds of people seeking refuge in temporary centers. Court hearings were suspended.

In the Chinese casino hub of Macao, minor flooding occurred in some areas, Hong Kong-based broadcaster TVB reported.

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Associated Press writer Fu Ting in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.