Hong Kong flights diverted as typhoon weakens

Typhoon Prapiroon has weakened into a tropical storm over south China after forcing the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people and cutting transport links across the region.

China's central Meteorological Office reported the storm, which made landfall in the coastal province of Guangdong on Thursday, was moving northwest, lashing the area of Baolin, in Guangxi, with heavy winds and rain.

More than 400,000 people across Guangdong, Guangxi and the island province of Hainan fled their homes ahead of Prapiroon.

Xinhua news agency reported 56 people aboard a barge off the Guangdong coast near the city of Yangjiang were brought to safety, but 12 others were still stranded at sea as rescue efforts were hampered by high winds.

The financial hub of Hong Kong escaped a direct hit from Prapiroon, which means "God of rain" in Thai, but strong winds caused delays and cancellations of flights.

Prapiroon was the sixth storm of the season to batter southern China, which is still reeling from tropical storms Bilis and Kaemi.

Bilis killed more than 600 people when it struck in July, and was quickly followed by Kaemi, which claimed at least 30 lives.

At least 20 international flights to Hong Kong have been diverted to airports in the Philippines due to the bad weather.

Twelve flights were diverted to Manila international airport while eight were diverted to Clark airport, a former US airbase north of Manila.

They included Cathay Pacific flights from Singapore, Ankara, Sydney, Melbourne and Penang and two British Airways flights from London.

More than 200 flights out of Hong Kong were delayed or cancelled on Thursday due to strong winds brought by Typhoon Prapiroon.

- RADIO AUSTRALIA