Macao sees return of normal life as Typhoon Saola moves away

MACAO, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- China's Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) declared to end the "state of immediate prevention" on Saturday afternoon as Typhoon Saola swept past the city early in the morning and moved away.

The Macao Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau downgraded the typhoon to Signal No. 3 at 3:00 p.m. local time, with social life gradually returning to normal.

According to the Macao Civil Protection Operations Center, a total of 247 people moved into the city's 17 emergency shelters and four emergency evacuation stopping points. Altogether 188 accidents were reported, with six people injured.

As of 3:00 p.m., border ports linking Macao with its neighboring mainland city of Zhuhai resumed customs clearance services.

Wong Sio Chak, secretary for security of the Macao SAR government, said though the impact of Typhoon Saola on Macao was less serious than expected, members of the civil protection force were urged to continue optimizing their work and guaranteeing the safety of residents' lives and properties.