Haikou, Oct 26 (IANS): All the fishing vessels in Hainan, China's southernmost island province, have returned to port, and more than 50,000 people working on them have been evacuated to the land as Typhoon Trami strengthens, the provincial meteorological bureau said on Saturday.

Trami, designated as this year's 20th typhoon, has intensified to a force of 12 (approximately 119 km per hour). It is expected to rotate over the waters off the southern coast of Hainan and the Xisha Islands starting Sunday night.

The city of Sansha has elevated its warning level and activated the emergency response in light of the typhoon, Xinhua news agency reported.

In response to the increasing intensity of the typhoon, Hainan's high-speed railway services and trains in Haikou, the provincial capital, have extended their suspension. All services will be halted starting from 6 p.m. on Saturday, with plans to resume at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday.