10,000 people evacuated as two typhoons approach China

BEIJING: At least 10,000 people were evacuated and ferry services linking China's eastern Fujian province to Taiwan suspended today in view of two typhoons which could hit the coasts in a couple of days.

The province has recalled 1,859 fishing boats to port, relocated 7,400 people onboard the vessels and 1,600 aquaculture farmers as of 6 PM (local time), according to the local flood control and drought relief headquarters.

A level-three emergency response has been initiated and ferry services on two routes linking Fujian and Taiwan were suspended today. Another cross-Strait ferry is expected to remain in port, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Typhoon Linfa's center is about 390 kms southeast of the boundary between Fujian and Guangdong provinces in the South China Sea.

The typhoon is forecast to move northwest at a speed of 10 kms per hour and will probably hit the coast of the two provinces tomorrow night, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) said.

Linfa is expected to bring gales of up to 30 meters per second, it warned.

Meanwhile, Typhoon Chan-Hom, the center of which was 1,560 kms southeast of the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands as of 2 PM today, will move northwest at 20 km per hour and arrive in the southern part of the East China Sea on Thursday night, according to the NMC forecast.

Chan-Hom may make landfall in Fujian and Zhejiang provinces late on Friday, bringing gales of up to 60 meters per second.