Storm triggers air and road chaos in Guangzhou

Passengers complain to the airline staff about delayed flights and conditions at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport early on Tuesday morning. A heavy rainstorm hit Guangzhou on Monday. [Photo/China Daily]

Road and air traffic came to a standstill in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province, on Monday when the city was hit by its first severe rainstorm of the year.

The storm, which brought precipitation of 37.5 mm from 6 p.m. to midnight, caused two injuries when a makeshift badminton gym collapsed.

Many vehicles broke down after becoming inundated with water on busy roads, causing heavy traffic jams, according to the city's Water Resources Department on Tuesday.

It was the severest storm to hit the city so far this year, the department said. It raised a red warning signal－the highest－at 11 p.m. on Monday, also the first this year.

A total of 1,134 rescue workers, 168 rescue vehicles and 455 water pumps were sent to flood-hit areas. The pumps were used to suck water from major roads across the city early on Tuesday.

A man and a woman were injured when the makeshift badminton gym collapsed at Guangzhou's Olympic Sports Center on Monday night.

Three staff members and 10 people playing badminton were showered with debris. No deaths were reported and the two who were wounded are in stable condition at a hospital.

At least 40 firefighters and six fire trucks were sent to the scene to help with rescue work.

Many passengers were stranded at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport when arrivals and departures were canceled or delayed by the weather.

Eighty-seven flights were canceled and another 80 delayed for more than an hour at the airport.

Huang Xiaolan, who was due to fly to Shanghai at 3 p.m., said her flight had been delayed by two hours.

Authorities in Guangdong have asked coastal cities and departments across the province to take action to prevent or combat possible flooding and related natural disasters in coming months.

Between four and six super typhoons have been forecast to hit Guangdong this year. The province borders the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions.