Southern China suspends ferry services as storm brings winds, high waters to coastal regions

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Parts of coastal southern China have suspended ferry services as a major storm passes into the South China Sea, bringing high winds and heavy waves to much of the region. The storm was downgraded Wednesday from Typhoon Man-yi, which left seven dead in the Philippines and worsened the crisis caused by back-to-back storms that battered the disaster-prone nation. It is now categorized as a low-pressure area lingering south of China’s Hainan Island, according to the Hong Kong Observatory, which said its maximum sustained winds were a relatively mild 40 kilometers (25 miles) per hour. Climatologists have predicted a greater frequency of such storms, but better preparedness and early warning systems have helped mitigate the consequences.