Typhoon-caused flood disrupts trains in Liaoning

SHENYANG - Flooding triggered by torrential rain brought by Typhoon Damrey, the 10th typhoon of the year, disrupted services of three railways in Northeast China's Liaoning province Saturday morning, local authorities said.

Passengers gather in the ticket hall to refund their tickets at a railway station in Shenyang city, Northeast China's Liaoning province on Aug 4, 2012, after the services of three railways in the province were disrupted by flooding triggerred by Typhoon Damrey. [Photo/Xinhua]

The services of a major local railway that links Liaoning's capital city Shenyang with the port city of Dalian was suspended after a section was submerged under water at about 2 am. This led to the delay of about 10 trains, the Shenyang railway bureau said in a statement.

Flooding also caused the collapse of a railway bed on a section of the Shenyang-Shanhaiguan line. This forced the suspension of more than half a dozen bullet trains running from Liaoning to other major cities.

Two sections of the third railway, which links Shenyang with Dandong, a border city in Liaoning, was inundated in flood water at about 9:50 am, disrupting train services.

The rain also affected traffic on 18 major roads and 18 county-level roads in Liaoning.

More heavy rains are forecast to batter the province later Saturday, according to the provincial meteorological center.

The southeastern part of Liaoning had received 100 to 220 mm of rainfall as of 4 am. Saturday, with a locality in the city of Anshan receiving 420 mm.

One person was killed and another five missing Friday night in Dalian when flood waters collapsed a bridge they were purportedly crossing, the local government said.

Flooding also has forced the evacuation of 88,773 people in the province.

Two typhoons, Damrey and Saola, made landfalls in East China Friday, something rarely seen in the country within 24 hours, bringing strong gales and heavy rainstorms.

The typhoons had left five people dead and one missing and forced the evacuation of 932,000 residents in provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian and Shandong by Saturday morning, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

A boy takes a nap on luggages as passengers are stranded at Shenyang Railway Station in Shenyang, Liaoning province August 4, 2012. Flooding triggered by torrential rain brought by Typhoon Damrey, the 10th typhoon of the year, disrupted services of three railways in northeast China's Liaoning province on Saturday morning. [Photo/Agencies]