Typhoon Wipha causes flight disruptions in southern China

Typhoon Wipha caused major flight disruptions Sunday at some airports in China as it moved west along the southern coast.

Airports in Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Zhuhai and Macau canceled or postponed all their daytime flights, their websites showed. Some high-speed train service in the area was suspended.

The storm, which reached typhoon strength overnight, was headed toward Macau and the neighboring Chinese city of Zhuhai. It was forecast to make landfall late Sunday and continue moving west, reaching Vietnam later this week.

Wipha, which is a Thai name, passed over the Philippines at tropical storm strength and drenched parts of Taiwan on Saturday.

In the Philippines, the storm intensified seasonal monsoon rains, leaving at least one villager dead in floodwaters in northern Cagayan province.

More than 370,000 people were affected by days of stormy weather, including 43,000 who fled to government-run emergency shelters or homes of relatives due to flooding, landslides and fierce wind. More than 400 houses were damaged in the onslaught, officials said.

(AP)