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China's Hainan Island Hit by Typhoon


Man struggles to ride motorcycle carrying a woman during heavy rain brought by Typhoon Nesat in Qionghai, Hainan province September 29, 2011
Man struggles to ride motorcycle carrying a woman during heavy rain brought by Typhoon Nesat in Qionghai, Hainan province September 29, 2011

Residents of the southern Chinese island of Hainan are trying to recover from Typhoon Nesat, which struck the area Thursday after pounding Hong Kong with heavy winds and rains earlier in the day.

Nesat hit Wenchang city with sustained winds of up to 150 kilometers an hour, making it the strongest typhoon to hit China this year.

The storm flooded streets and blew down trees across Hainan. China's Xinhua news agency said almost 58,000 people were evacuated from low-lying areas before the typhoon made landfall.

Local officials had also ordered all fishing boats to return to port, canceled all flights and ferry services and closed schools.

Before hitting Hainan, Nesat swept past Hong Kong - shutting down businesses, schools and financial markets.

Earlier this week, the typhoon killed 35 people in the Philippines.

Officials said efforts to find dozens of people still missing are being hampered by bad weather.

Philippine forecasters say another tropical storm brewing in the Pacific Ocean is on track to hit the country later this week.

Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

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