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9 fishermen missing in SE China as typhoon Morakot nears
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-08-08 05:48 FUZHOU/TAIPEI/HANGZHOU: A fishing boat capsized at about 10 pm Friday off the coast of southern island province of Hainan as the tropical storm Goni wreak the havoc.
Authorities in southeast China's Fujian province have ordered all schools and scenic spots to close before 4 pm Friday, as typhoon Morakot nears.
The headquarters has entrusted the education bureau to notify schools in the four cities to stop all activities, and make sure all teachers and students leave safely. Waves as high as six meters were already hitting the coastal area on Friday, and the provincial meteorological observatory said they could reach up to nine meters as the typhoon came closer. According to China National Meteorological Center, Morakot, the eighth typhoon to affect China's mainland, was 180 km southeast of Keelung, Taiwan, as of 10 am Friday, packing winds up to 144 km per hour in the center. It is moving at 15 km per hour northwestward, and is expected to hit Taiwan Friday evening, and would land in northern Fujian and central Zhejiang sometime from Saturday afternoon to Sunday morning. Dong Rong, deputy director of the Fujian observatory, said, Morakot would be the strongest typhoon to land in China's mainland this year. |