BEIJING, July 25 (Reuters) – Strong winds and torrential rain lashed China on Saturday, brought by a strengthening Typhoon Noul, weather authorities said, urging people to avoid unnecessary travel as transport links could be disrupted.
* Noul, the 12th typhoon of the year, is forecast to hit the coast between the Asian financial hub of Hong Kong and Lufeng in China’s southern province of Guangdong sometime between late Saturday and the next morning.
* The National Meteorological Centre warned that Guangdong, and the nearby provinces of Fujian, Jiangxi and Hunan, would be directly affected. It urged people to take precautions, avoid unnecessary travel and watch for danger.
* More than 340,000 people were relocated across Guangdong by Saturday, and more than 23,000 people were relocated in Fujian.
* Guangdong began suspending rail services on Saturday, with high-speed and regular trains expected to halt on Sunday.
* From Saturday, operations at airports across Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai and Xiamen may be affected.
* As of 4:50 p.m. (0850 GMT) on Saturday, 29 departures and 20 arrivals had been cancelled at Hong Kong International Airport, while 126 departures and 112 arrivals were delayed.
* A large number of flights were expected to be affected on Sunday, Airport Authority Hong Kong said.
* Cathay Pacific said it had cancelled flights from Hong Kong between 1:15 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. on Sunday.
* The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao bridge was closed through Sunday.
(Reporting by Sophie Yu, Ryan Woo; Editing by Clarence Fernandez, Kevin Liffey and Louise Heavens)
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