IANS

Beijing, Aug 7: As typhoon Morakot gains momentum and churns toward China's mainland, provinces in coastal regions are busy bracing for its impact.

The first major typhoon of the season was located Thursday night at 23.3 degrees north and 126.7 degrees east, about 780 km away from Wenzhou, a major city in Zhejiang province, meteorological authorities said.

It was expected to land in the eastern Zhejiang or Fujian provinces between Saturday noon and Sunday morning.

In Zhejiang province 2,076 ships had returned to harbour by 3 p.m. while passenger liner services in Wenzhou and Taizhou cities were suspended.

More than 900 Chinese and foreign tourists have been evacuated from the resort Nanji Island, and measures taken in scenic areas near the coast to assist tourists.

Seventeen teams comprising 138 soldiers are preparing for emergencies, and working with local officials to ascertain potentially hazardous areas.

In adjacent Fujian province messages have been sent to mobile phone users, warning them to prepare for the typhoon.

Provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters ordered fishing boats and construction vessels to seek shelter in harbours before 6 p.m. Thursday.

Weather forecasters said the typhoon would push sea waves in the coastal areas to up to nine meters high when it approaches.

Local authorities have warned the public to pay attention to weather forecasts and be aware of the rainstorms and other typhoon-related disasters.

Morakot, which strengthened into typhoon Wednesday afternoon, is also expected to whip up gales in Shanghai from Saturday to Monday. Meteorological stations in the city have cautioned relevant departments to brace for emergencies.

The eighth tropical storm of the year, Morakot was formed on the heels of Goni, which unleashed downpours in Guangdong destroying 732 houses.

"The two storms could influence each other," said Wang Zhenming, vice head of the Zhejiang provincial meteorological station.

"As a result, the route of Morakot is not fully predictable," he said, warning that Morakot was likely to continue growing in strength and become a super typhoon.

China is frequently affected by tropical storms in summer. The most destructive one recently occurred in 2006, when super typhoon Saomai claimed more than 400 lives.