cancelled. The rail ferry service to Mainland China was suspended. The storm was originally expected to turn west after landfall. However, it headed north and hit Hainan's provincial capital Haikou. As a result, some 27,700 people were evacuated from Hainan's low-lying area and some 2,602 fishing ships returned to port. Heavy rain and strong winds halted all shipping services across the Qiongzhou Strait. Later the next day, China's flood control authorities evacuated 189,033 residents to safe areas. On July 31, China's provincial flood control office reported that, in total, Nock-ten claimed 2 lives and caused widespread damage worth US$58 million in Hainan province. Vietnam, Laos and Thailand As the storm neared land, a Vietnamese boat carrying 12 fishermen capsized and drifted towards Palawan, near the Philippines. A few hours later, the fishermen were rescued. The Thai Meteorological Department issued warnings for Phuket and much of Thailand. Strong winds and heavy rain were predicted to affect the Andaman Sea. As a result, the people of Thailand's northern provinces started preparing for floods and strong winds. The Yom River and the Nan River were reported to be almost overflowing, damaging rice paddy fields and farmland. About 650,000 people were evacuated from low-lying areas in the Tonkin Gulf region. On July 30, just before final landfall, the storm started claiming Vietnamese, with one man killed by the waves. As a result, meteorological officials repeated their warning that small boats should not put to sea. Later that day, some 6 flights of Vietnam Airlines were cancelled and many more were delayed because of the storm. Over the next day, after the storm's final landfall, some 6,200 acres of rice and other crop fields were reported to be completely submerged. The storm's consequences were described as "not considerable" as the storm did not cause much damage. On July 31, the Vietnamese death toll was upgraded to three, as another man was killed by electric shock when lightning stroke the electric pole and a 13-year-old child drowned. The storm damaged at least four fishing vessels, sinking one from Quảng Ngãi Province near the Spratly Islands. The north and northeastern provinces of Thailand were reported to be completely flooded and some townships were said to be under a staggering of water. Two people were reported missing in the flood waters. Flooding occurred in many northern and central provinces. Heavy rainfall inundated low-lying areas of Khammuan and Borikhamxay.