10,000 evacuated as two typhoons approach China

Beijing, July 7: Nearly 10,000 people have been evacuated from China's eastern province of Fujian as it braces for the landfall of two typhoons, Linfa and Chan-Hom, Xinhua news agency reported.

The province has recalled 1,859 fishing boats to port, relocated 7,400 people on board the vessels and 1,600 aquaculture farmers as of 6 p.m. on Tuesday, 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 on Tuesday. Another cross-Strait ferry is expected to remain in port.

As of 3 p.m. Tuesday, Typhoon Linfa's centre was about 390 km 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 km per hour, and will probably hit the coast of the two provinces Wednesday night, the National Meteorological Centre (NMC) said.

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

Meanwhile, Typhoon Chan-Hom, the centre of which was 1,560 km southeast of the Diaoyu Islands as of 2 p.m. on Tuesday, will move northwest at 20 km per hour, and arrive in the southern part of the East China Sea on Thursday night, the NMC forecast.

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

IANS