ALMOST 200,000 people were evacuated in southern China yesterday as Typhoon Mujigae slammed into the coast of Guangdong province.

The 112mph winds had headed north from the Philippines, where they killed at least one fisherman and left 30 others missing.

Trains on the island province of Hainan were suspended and scores of flights from provincial capital Haikou cancelled as the cyclone whipped the area, whose tropical beaches had attracted huge numbers of tourists from the mainland for the National Day holiday, which marks the foundation of the People’s Republic of China on October 1 and lasts a week.

Provincial authorities in Hainan and Guangdong said more than 60,000 fishing boats had been forced to return to port and 40,000 fishermen had sought refuge in shelters.

The storm was heading inland as the Morning Star went to press and is expected to blow itself out within two days, though authorities warned the area could see 11 inches of rain over the next 24 hours.