Hurricane Bill hits Canada's Atlantic coastline

OTTAWA. August 24. KAZINFORM. Hurricane Bill is wreaking havoc on Canada's Atlantic coastline regions, knocking out power to thousands of local residents, flooding roads and forcing flight cancellations; Kazinform refers to Xinhua.

The category 1 storm is packing winds of 120 kilometers per hour on Sunday afternoon in the southern regions of the provinces of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, reports reaching here said.

It has forced the cancellation of dozens of flights throughout the Atlantic region, including airports in Halifax, Moncton and New Brunswick.

    Power outages were reported throughout Nova Scotia, affecting more than 21,000 customers, according to Nova Scotia Power. Some roadways in the province were closed.

Heavy rainfall has prompted flooding in some local areas. By Sunday noon, southern Nova Scotia had already experienced up to 60millimeters of rain, while southern New Brunswick reported 20 to 40 mm.

Bill traveled past Bermuda early Saturday, leaving behind flooded streets, debris and thousands without power; Kazinform cites Xinhua. See www.xinhuanet.com for full version.