As Saturday’s gales swept over Beijing and northern China, hundreds of flights were canceled and train lines were disrupted. The Reuters news agency said 838 flights were canceled at the capital’s two main airports by 11:30 local time (03:30 GMT) on Saturday.
The Chinese capital is expected to experience wind gusts of up to 93 mph (150 kph) during the weekend, the greatest in over 50 years, prompting the closure of historical buildings and tourist attractions. According to certain state media channels, people under 50 kilograms could be “easily blown away,” which warned millions to stay indoors on Friday.
Train services have been halted, including certain high-speed rail lines and the express subway line at the airport. Parks were also closed, and while some ancient trees were pruned or strengthened in advance, around 300 trees have already toppled in the capital.
Although many automobiles were damaged and no casualties were reported, most Beijingers heeded the city’s warning to stay indoors after 22 million inhabitants were advised to avoid non-essential travel. It made everyone in Beijing extremely anxious. There are very few people on the streets today. But it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be,” a local told the news agency Reuters.
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