People evacuated and flights canceled as south China braces for Typhoon Wutip

GUANGZHOU, June 13 (Xinhua) -- As Wutip, the first typhoon this year, approaches, south China provinces have activated emergency response measures, evacuated people to safe places, canceled flights and prepared rescue teams.

Guangdong Province elevated its emergency response to Level-III on Friday morning, and readied 10 rescue vessels and five helicopters with 34 tugboats on 24-hour call in key waters across the province. More than 49,000 fishing boats have returned to ports, of which over 10,000 crew members have gone ashore for safety.

According to the Guangdong provincial meteorological observatory, between Friday and Monday, the province will see the heaviest rainfall since the beginning of this flood season. The observatory also warned of the risk of tornadoes in some areas of Guangdong from Friday to Sunday.

Water conservancy authorities in Guangdong forecast that rivers will rise by two to six meters, with some exceeding warning levels. Local governments have deployed 12 rescue teams with 324 members, as well as sufficient disaster relief resources.

On the island province of Hainan, 16,561 people had been evacuated from construction sites, low-lying flood-prone areas, and regions at risk of flash floods as of 8 p.m. Thursday.

All the province's 30,721 fishing vessels had either returned to ports or taken shelter elsewhere, with over 40,000 people working on the vessels having been evacuated ashore.

Wutip intensified into a severe tropical storm at 8 p.m. Thursday. As of 10 a.m. on Friday, it was located near Ledong Li Autonomous County, Hainan, with winds reaching up to 101 kilometers per hour and moving northwards at a speed of 5 to 10 kilometers per hour.

In the early hours of Friday, 12 crew members were rescued from a ship off the coast in Hainan. The evacuees will be taken ashore when weather permits.

All kindergartens, schools, construction sites and tourist attractions in Sanya have been closed. Ships are prohibited from sailing, and Sanya airport suspended all flights from 10 p.m. Thursday. High-speed rail services across Hainan have been halted, with operations expected to resume on Saturday.

The Nanhai Rescue Bureau is closely monitoring Wutip, with seven rescue vessels and four helicopters on standby to respond to emergencies. ■