China braces for Typhoon Trami

HANGZHOU -- East China's coastal provinces are evacuating tourists, fishermen and residents to prepare for the arrival of Typhoon Trami, the 12th typhoon of this year.

Some 1,550 tourists were evacuated from an island in Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province due to strong winds triggered by approaching Trami, local authorities said.

All tourists on islands or off the coast in Ningbo city, also in Zhejiang, have been evacuated and entertainment activities at sea halted as of noon Wednesday.

Trami intensified into a typhoon at 10 pm Tuesday. The storm's center was spotted 495 km off the coast southeast of Wenzhou at 7 am Wednesday, packing maximum wind speeds of 118.8 km per hour, said the Zhejiang Provincial Meteorological Observatory.

The storm is expected to make landfall in neighboring Fujian Province late Wednesday night or early Thursday.

Rain and strong gales began to hit coastal areas in Zhejiang on Tuesday night. The areas will see rainstorms from Wednesday evening to Thursday.

The Zhejiang provincial flood control headquarters initiated a Grade III response to Trami on Wednesday. Fujian Province launched a Grade II response as rainstorms are expected to sweep the province.

The Fujian flood control headquarters has demanded all fishing vessels return to harbors and maritime fishery workers complete evacuation by 6 pm Wednesday. Residents in low-lying areas are also required to evacuate in time.

Railway authorities suspended service of 78 high-speed trains in Fujian on Thursday and Friday.

About 6,000 soldiers have been deployed in key flood-prone areas in Fujian.

Forty-nine people died and another 11 went missing as a result of natural disasters triggered by Typhoon Utor, which lashed China's southern regions last week, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said Tuesday.