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A man drives a motorcycle in flooded streets in Shenzhen City, south China's Guangdong Province, on June 25, 2008. Tropical storm Fengshen hit the southeast coast of China early on Wednesday, bringing about heavy rains and strong winds. The storm made the landfall in the coastal area of Shenzhen at 5:30 a.m. with winds of up to 83 kilometers per hour, according to the provincial meteorological station. (Xinhua Photo)
Tropical storm Fengshen hit the southeast coast of China early on Wednesday, bringing heavy rain and strong winds.
The storm made landfall at Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, at 5:30 a.m. with winds of up to 83 kilometers per hour, according to the provincial meteorological station.
One crewman was injured and another is missing after falling into the sea as their container ship made an emergency mooring off Shanwei City, Guangdong, at around 4 a.m. on Wednesday.
Cars drive in flooded streets in Shenzhen City, south China's Guangdong Province, on June 25, 2008. Tropical storm Fengshen hit the southeast coast of China early on Wednesday, bringing about heavy rains and strong winds. The storm made the landfall in the coastal area of Shenzhen at 5:30 a.m. with winds of up to 83 kilometers per hour, according to the provincial meteorological station. (Xinhua Photo)
A vessel from the South China Sea Rescue Bureau under the Ministry of Transport arrived at the site around 11:35 a.m. to search for the missing man, Guangdong TV said.
The missing person had no life jacket and was wearing just a raincoat, the report said. The injured man was being treated in hospital.
Heavy rain and gales had already hit central and southern parts of the province, the Guangdong meteorological station said. The storm would continue to move north at a speed of 15 km per hour and lose strength.
More than 13,000 ships in Guangdong returned to harbor ahead of the storm's arrival.
Within an hour of landfall, monitoring stations in Shenzhen had reported rainfall of up to 38 millimeters.
The Shenzhen meteorological station forecast downpours of up to 200 mm would hit the city Wednesday and Thursday.
Middle and primary schools in Shenzhen have suspended classes.
By 5 p.m., continuous rainstorms had delayed 121 flights and cancelled another 14 at Shenzhen airport. Shipping from the Fuyong Dock, which links the airport to Hong Kong and Macao, was also cancelled.
As of 8 a.m., no casualties had been reported, the city's flood control authorities said.
A flood prevention emergency plan was activated on Wednesday ineastern Jiangxi Province. Heavy rains of 80 mm to 200 mm were forecast in the province's eastern and southern areas from Wednesday through to Saturday.
The storm was forecast to hit Ganzhou City, in Jiangxi, late on Wednesday and was expected to affect the province for 36 hours, the provincial meteorological station said.
Two teams from Jiangxi flood control headquarters had been dispatched to the affected areas to help with evacuations and preparations against floods, landslides and mud-rock flows.
The China Central Meteorological Station forecast early Wednesday the storm would bring heavy rains to Guangdong, Fujian, Guangxi, Jiangxi and Hunan.
From June 6 to 16, nine provinces in the country's east, south and southwest had experienced torrential rain, leaving 63 people dead, 13 missing and 1.6 million people displaced, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs.
Nearly 5,000 vessels were stranded in the cities of Huzhou and Jiaxing in eastern Zhejiang Province as the water remained at high levels.
The provincial port administration has banned sailing to the Taihu Lake, China's third largest freshwater lake, whose water levels exceeded the warning levels because of continuous rains.
Dark clouds gather over a business district in Hong Kong June 25, 2008. Tropical storm Fengshen struck Southeast China coast on Wednesday after tearing through the Philippines last week, bringing driving rain, uprooting trees and closing schools and businesses. [Xinhua]
Hong Kong also saw heavy rains on Wednesday. All schools in the region stopped classes on Wednesday morning.
The storm was downgraded from a typhoon level. Hundreds were dead or missing in the Philippines after the typhoon hit on Friday.
Pedestrians brave strong winds and rains on a road in Macao, as tropical storm Fengshen landed in South China, June 25, 2008. [Xinhua]
Editor: Yan
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