Yao said threats to public safety in the devastated areas still existed. "In the coming days special attention should be paid to floods, landslides, rock falls and rising water levels caused by the torrential rain," he said.

    The safe landing of Air China Flight 1539 from Beijing at Wenzhou Airport at 11:30 am marked the end of Haitang's threat to the aviation sector in the two provinces.

    "Despite heavy rains, flights in the region resumed normal operations this morning," said Jiang Yao, information officer with the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China's (CAAC) East China Bureau, in a telephone interview.

    Jiang said more than 110 flights had been cancelled at Changle International Airport in Fuzhou, Fujian's capital, in the previous two days, but normal operations resumed yesterday morning.

    As other provinces were focussing on the clean-up operation, Jiangxi has been dealing with Haitang's remnants.

    Heavy rain and strong winds have swept 35 central counties in the province since Tuesday, although officials report that no transport has been cancelled or delayed at passenger terminals in Nanchang, Jiangxi's capital, which has 160 scheduled services linking it with cities within and outside the province.

    The provincial weather bureau's forecast says heavy rain will continue until as late as Saturday.

(Source: China Daily)