East China on guard against dual typhoons

HANGZHOU -- East China's Zhejiang Province is on high alert as two typhoons are scheduled to attack starting on Sunday.

Typhoon Bolaven, the 15th typhoon of the year, is expected to enter the East China Sea on Sunday, bringing gales and downpour to the eastern coastal areas, the meteorological authority forecast Saturday.

Bolaven was located over the northwest Pacific Ocean at 5 pm, 1,064 km southeast of the coastal Zhejiang Province, packing gales at 52 meters per second.

It was heading northwest at 15 to 20 km per hour and was about to reach the East China Sea on Sunday night, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) said.

The provincial weather bureau has forecast strong gales and torrential rain in the coastal areas of Zhejiang Province from Sunday to Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the year's 14th typhoon, Tembin, which stayed 200 km southeast of the coastal juncture area between Guangdong and Fujian provinces early Saturday, would move southwest and linger in northeastern areas of the South China Sea in the coming two days, the NMC said.

Local authorities in Zhejiang and Fujian provinces recalled fishing boats to ports Saturday. The boats will be banned from going out to sea before the typhoon alarm is removed.

In Fujian, nearly 24,000 aquatic farm workers were relocated Saturday to take shelter from high waves, heavy winds and downpours the typhoons would bring.

Authorities have also sent out inspectors to reservoirs and sea dykes, especially those under construction, to monitor if there are any dangers.

The NMC has forecast moderate to heavy rains in the central and western parts of a vast region along the Yellow and Huaihe rivers, as well as southeastern part of north China, in the coming two days.