Rain starts falling in Wenling, east China's Zhejiang Province, Oct. 6, 2007. The governments of east China's Zhejiang and Fujian provinces, where the super typhoon "Krosa" is likely to land on Sunday night or Monday morning, have ordered all fishing vessels to return to harbor and tourists to safer places by Saturday. The two provinces, both hit by typhoons frequently, have been bracing for their latest buffeting since Friday.  (Xinhua Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    HANGZHOU, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- Strong typhoon "Krosa", the 16th this year, is approaching the Chinese mainland after slamming into Taiwan on Saturday.

    As of 8 p.m. on Saturday, Krosa was whirling at sea about 455 km off Wenling, southwestern Zhejiang with sustained winds of 180 kph, the Zhejiang meteorological observatory said. Its radius is 450 kilometers.

    The typhoon has lashed Taiwan, cutting off power supplies and halting highway and air traffic. Taiwan media reports show several people injured by tiles, damaged billboard and in a bus accident.

    Krosa is expected to make a second landfall between Wenling of Zhejiang and Ningde of Fujian on Sunday before heading north, the Zhejiang observatory said.

    By Saturday evening, east China's provinces of Zhejiang and Fujian have evacuated more than one million people ahead of the buffeting of the powerful typhoon. By 8 p.m. Saturday, Zhejianghas evacuated more than 837,000 residents and recalled 32,448 vessels, sources with the provincial flood control headquarters said.

    By 7 p.m., the neighboring Fujian province has displaced about 230,000 people and recalled 36,851 vessels to the harbor.

    The tourism bureau in Zhejiang has closed almost all scenic areas along the coast, and evacuated more than 500,000 holiday-makers who flocked to the seaside resorts for the seven-day National Day holiday from Oct.1 to 7, said Zhao Jinyong, director of the bureau.

    In Taizhou city of Zhejiang, more than 150,000 tourists had been cleared from tourist sites by Saturday afternoon. Local government are distributing a daily subsidy of 30 yuan per person to about 130 tourists who are stranded on the Dachen islands, a scenic area in Taizhou.

    In the Zhoushan islands, about 290,000 tourists had been evacuated by Friday, and another 11,990 people left the islands on Saturday. The rest 1,885 people who chose not to leave have been asked to stay in safe shelters. Another 612 people who insisted to visit the Putuo Mountain, a Buddhism mountain range in Zhejiang, have also been properly arranged in safe houses.

    The powerful typhoon has unleashed heavy rainfalls in Zhejiang, feeding rivers near the coast to reach warning marks. The Zhejiang marine monitoring and forecasting center issued a top warning for storm tide, forecasting waves up to 12 meters high along the coast in the next 24 hours.

    The Zhejiang flood control headquarters issued an urgent notice Saturday evening, requiring local governments to be on high alert and take every necessary measure to hedge risks of the powerful typhoon.

    In Shanghai, which is hosting the Special Olympics, the local government has called back all flood prevention workers from their national holidays and is drafting emergency plans for the drainage of the competition venues to ensure the sports event continues smoothly.

    Zhang Jiayi, deputy chief of the city's flood prevention headquarters, said they had notified all people working on construction sites, living in unsafe houses and along the coastal areas to prepare to evacuate, but decisions to evacuate and close schools will be announced on Sunday depending on the trajectory of the typhoon and its impact on Shanghai.

    Both Taiwan and Hong Kong airlines canceled flights between the two destinations. Cathay Pacific Airways, a major carrier in Hong Kong, announced cancellation of all flights to and from Taiwan from Saturday to 2 p.m. Sunday.

    An increasing number of passengers, including more than 100 Hong Kong students, are finding themselves stranded at Hong Kong's international airport.

    Ship services between Fuzhou, capital of Fujian, and Mawei in Taiwan were also halted on Saturday.

    The Office of State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters of China issued a "Level Two" flood control emergency response plan Saturday morning demanding related provinces and cities to closely monitor the typhoon and be well prepared for any emergencies.

    Experts with the Zhejiang provincial meteorological station said the number of typhoons in October will be small but the damage could be huge.

    During the National Day holiday in 2005, typhoon "Longwang" ravaged east China, triggering flash floods and a landslide, which destroyed barracks with cadets inside, killing 85.

Fishing boats stay in harbor in Wenling, east China's Zhejiang Province, Oct. 6, 2007. The governments of east China's Zhejiang and Fujian provinces, where the super typhoon "Krosa" is likely to land on Sunday night or Monday morning, have ordered all fishing vessels to return to harbor and tourists to safer places by Saturday. The two provinces, both hit by typhoons frequently, have been bracing for their latest buffeting since Friday. (Xinhua Photo) Photo Gallery>>>