2010-07-23 01:34

GUANGZHOU - Two people were killed and the lives of more than one million people were disrupted after Chanthu, the third typhoon of the season, made landfall at the coastal area in South China' s Guangdong province Thursday noon.

Thick clouds hang over Guangzhou city, South China's Guangdong province, July 21, 2010. [Photo/Xinhua]

Two pedestrians were killed by walls that blew over in strong gales accompanying Chanthu after it went ashore at Wuchuan city at around 1:45 pm, according to officials at the provincial flood control headquarters.

Chanthu also brought torrential rains to several cities in Guangdong.

As of 8 pm, more than 1.35 million people in 20 counties or cities in Guangdong were affected and 2,915 houses collapsed in the rainstorms and strong gales, with economic losses estimated at 2.2 billion yuan ($324 million), according to statistics from the headquarters.

After weakening into a tropical storm, Chanthu moved on to neighboring Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region at around 8 pm.

Chanthu delayed 30 flights at the Baiyun International Airport in Guangzhou. However, few passengers have been stranded at the airport, according to Baiyun airport officials.

The airport also provided free food and made hotel reservations for passengers whose flights were delayed for more than two hours.

At least 26 flights in and out of Haikou Meilan International Airport in Haikou, capital of the island province of Hainan, which is just one strait away from Guangdong, had been canceled Thursday.

Passengers who arrived at the airport were provided with free hotel services, and no passengers were left stranded at the airport, said an airport spokesman.

No casualties have been reported in Hainan.

Meteorologists in Guangdong forecast that in the next 24 hours Chanthu would continue traveling northwestward at a speed of 15-20 km per hour while gradually weakening.