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Typhoon Jangmi expected to land in east China

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-09-28 09:23

FUZHOU -- Super-strong Typhoon Jangmi is expected to slam into southeast China's Fujian Province on Monday, just days after Typhoon Hagupit killed at least 17 people, local meteorological authorities said on Saturday.

According to the Fujian Provincial Observatory, Jangmi will hit Taiwan between Sunday evening and Monday morning before its landfall in Fujian late Monday afternoon or Monday night.

Jangmi is the strongest typhoon this year, packing winds of up to 234 km per hour.

Meteorologists said it's moving northwest at a speed of 25 km per hour.

It is expected to bring torrential rain and high winds to Fujian and the neighboring Zhejiang Province.

Local authorities called vessels to harbor and issued warnings of possible floods and landslides.

"All vessels must return to harbor by Sunday night and all sea tours must be suspended," Zhang Changping, executive vice governor of the Fujian province, told a meeting on Saturday.

Navigation has been suspended across the Taiwan Straits on Saturday as Jangmi, the 15th typhoon this year, is approaching and bringing strong winds and waves.

In Wenzhou, Zhejiang province, about 110 tourists were stranded at a small island due to the cancellation of navigation.

"They have to stay in the island for several days. But we will guarantee their safety," said Wu Yongbin, a police officer.

Rough water was already a problem on Saturday. Chinese rescuers saved 37 sailors aboard two foreign-registered vessels that encountered mechanical failure during strong winds off the coast of southern Guangdong Province.

Earlier this week, Hagupit, the 14th strong typhoon this year, landed in Maoming, Guangdong, on Wednesday morning. It killed 17 people in the southern city of Yangjiang alone.

Hagupit left China on Thursday morning and moved into Vietnam as a severe tropical storm. In Vietnam, landslides and flooding caused by Hagupit claimed more than 20 lives.