Numerous flights have been cancelled and thousands have been evacuated from China's southernmost province of Hainan as a powerful typhoon with the international name 'Kalmaegi' made landfall early on Tuesday.

Bringing about strong winds accompanied by rain, Typhoon Kalmaegi landed in Wengtian Township, Wenchang City at a 40-meters-per-second speed at around 9:40 a.m.

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By 12:45 p.m., the typhoon had arrived at Xuwen County, Guangdong Province coastal areas.

With maximum sustained winds of 137 kilometers per hour, the powerful typhoon forced more than 20,000 people from affected areas to relocate to 24 temporary settlements made for natural disasters.

As of 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, more than 170 flights from the Haikou Meilan International Airport and the Sanya Phoenix International Airport had already been cancelled.

Over 4,000 fishing boats in Lingao County, 26,000 from Hainan and more than 3,000 coming from Guangdong have been called back to shore.

Thousands of oil rig workers were also evacuated via helicopter as a precautionary measure, the Guangdong Maritime Bureau stated.

Two helicopters and 29 rescue vessels are standing by in the South China Sea in case of emergency.

On the Qiongzhou Strait, passenger trains and shipping services had also been suspended as of 1 p.m. on Monday.

Guangdong and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region are expected to experience torrential rains Tuesday through Thursday.

Though much weaker than the devastating Typhoon Rammasun, residents in southern parts of China are still distraught to experience yet another storm while barely coping with the remaining damages left by the past one.

"Our new house has yet to be completed and we suffer again," Wengtian Township resident Gao Yuanfu stated, expressing his distress about the possible losses he will suffer as the harvest month nears.

Gao and his family have been living in makeshift homes for over two months since they lost their home after Typhoon Rammasun wrought havoc in their area.

TagsTyphoon Kalmaegi, South China, Hainan, Evacuation, flight, Cancelled, typhoon