China braces for super typhoon Sanba

BEIJING - China's flood control and drought relief headquarters on Friday urged relevant departments in the country's coastal provinces to brace for a super typhoon that has rapidly gained strength in the Western Pacific.

In a statement posted on its website, the headquarters said super typhoon Sanba, positioned 900 kilometers east of Manila, Philippines, packing maximum winds of 184 kilometers per hour as of 5 pm Thursday, was expected to move northwest at a speed of about 17 km per hour.

The typhoon will bring gales, big waves and strong rainfall to China's eastern coastal areas, according to the statement, adding that a tropical cloud cluster lingering over the South China Sea may develop into a tropical cyclone in the coming days.

The headquarters issued a warning notice to its local offices in more than 10 coastal provincial-level administrative regions, including Shanghai, Fujian and Liaoning.

The notice required local departments to closely monitor Sanba and the tropical cloud cluster and issue timely forecasts and warnings.

Meanwhile, the notice urged residents of the country's coastal regions to be well-prepared for possible typhoon effects and take precautions against wind, moisture and strong rainfall.