Hong Kong and parts of southern China come to near standstill as Super Typhoon Saola approaches

Most of Hong Kong and parts of southern China came to a near standstill with classes and flights cancelled as Super Typhoon Saola edged closer. The typhoon could make a landfall in southern China and many workers stayed at home. Students in various cities had the start of their school year postponed to next week. Hong Kong’s stock market trading was suspended and more than 400 flights were cancelled or delayed in the key center for regional business and travel. China Railway Guangzhou Group said nearly 4,000 trains were suspended between Thursday and Sunday, state media CCTV earlier reported. As the city braced for heavy rains and strong winds Friday morning, about 170 people sought refuge at temporary shelters, with some ferry and bus services halted. Residents living in low-lying areas had placed sand bags at their doors to prevent their homes being flooded. China’s National Meteorological Center said Saola could make landfall from Huidong County to Taishan city in Guangdong province, neighbouring Hong Kong, between Friday night and Saturday morning. But it also did not rule out it would move west near the shore of central Guangdong. In recent months, China had some of the heaviest rains and deadliest flooding in years across various regions, with scores killed, including in outlying mountainous parts of the capital Beijing.