China braces for typhoon Morakot

BEIJING, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- As typhoon Morakot gains momentum and churns toward China's mainland, provinces in coastal regions are busy bracing for its impact.

Soldiers help fishermen go to safe zone in the rain in Taizhou City, east China's Zhejiang Province, Aug. 6, 2009. It is predicted that the typhoon Morakot will land off the seashore in east China's  Zhejiang Province and southeast China's Fujian Province from Saturday noon to Sunday morning.(Xinhua/Jia Ce)

By 5 p.m. Thursday, the typhoon was located at 23.3 degrees north and 126.7 degrees east, about 780 kilometers away from Wenzhou, a major city in Zhejiang Province, meteorological authorities said. It was expected to land in the eastern Zhejiang or Fujian provinces between Saturday noon and Sunday morning.

In Zhejiang province 2,076 ships had returned to harbor by 3 p.m. while passenger liner services in Wenzhou and Taizhou cities were suspended.

More than 900 Chinese and foreign tourists have been evacuated from from the resort Nanji Island, and measures taken in scenic areas near the coast to assist tourists.

Seventeen teams comprising 138 soldiers are preparing for emergencies, and working with local officials to ascertain potentially hazardous areas. In adjacent Fujian province, nearly 8.4 million short messages had been sent to mobile phone users by 5:30 p.m., warning them to prepare for the typhoon.