Macao's sea, air and land traffic was suspended or delayed Tuesday night due to the severe weather brought by tropical storm Goni which edged closer to the island city located at China's southern coast.

Macao's Meteorological Bureau hoisted the typhoon signal No. 8 Tuesday night, saying the center of Goni was 55 km southwest by south of Macao and it was moving at the speed of 10 km per hour towards south China. The Bureau also said that Goni was expected to be the closest to the island city Wednesday morning.

All of Macao's ferry services were suspended because of the bad weather, while flights at the Macao International Airport were also suspended or delayed. The three sea-crossing bridges that connect the Macao Peninsula with the Taipa Island were also temporarily closed by the authorities, but the tunnel of the Sai Van Bridge was opened to local vehicles during the storm period.

As the storm continued to pummel the city, many roadside facilities were damaged. Alongside a road that leads to the city' s Barrier Gate border checkpoint, a utility pole was blown down by the wind, and the electric wire was dragged down to the middle of the road. Local authorities said that at least 11 accidents concerning falling objects or collapsing trees were reported, but no injuries were found so far.

(Xinhua News Agency August 5, 2009)