Goni brings heavy rain to south China; Morakot strengthens into typhoon

BEIJING, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- Tropical storm Goni has brought huge rainfall to south China after it landed early Wednesday morning in Taishan of south China's Guangdong Province.

Downpours drenched most parts of Guangdong and neighboring Fujian province, with a hydrological station in Guangdong reporting precipitation of about 400 mm.

The weakening Goni is moving westward slowing and is expected to bring downpours to west Guangdong from Thursday to Friday.

Maritime affairs department in the southern island province of Hainan said Tuesday that it had issued an emergency warning to 20,000 fishing vessels in the South China Sea, calling them to harbor.

Another tropical storm, Morakot, has strengthened into typhoon and is expected to make a landfall from late Friday to Saturday in central and northern Fujian, weather forecasters said.

Local authorities have put in place emergency plans to evacuate residents amid other efforts to reduce losses from Morakot, the 8th typhoon this year.

Severe rainstorms also wreak havoc in other parts of the country Wednesday.

In Suichuan, eastern Jiangxi province, flash flood washed down five houses and killed at least three people.

Rain-related disasters also killed two in the southwestern Guizhou province and another two in neighboring Chongqing municipality.