The eastern provinces of Fujian and Zhejiang of China on early Sunday morning issued sea and land warnings as typhoon Jangmi approaches.

The observatories of the two provinces urged residents to beware of strong winds and heavy rains, while provincial flood control headquarters told governments at lower levels to evacuate people and recall vessels back to harbor.

Jangmi, the strongest typhoon this year that was packing winds of up to 234 km per hour, was 310 km southeast of Hualien, Taiwan, at 5:00 AM on Sunday, according to the Fujian Provincial Observatory.

It is expected to hit land on Sunday afternoon or night, and make a second landfall in Fujian on Monday afternoon or night, the observatory said.

Rough water was already a problem on Saturday. Chinese rescuers saved 37 sailors aboard two foreign-registered vessels that encountered mechanical failure during strong winds off the coast of southern Guangdong Province.

Earlier this week, Hagupit, the 14th strong typhoon this year, landed in Maoming, Guangdong, on Wednesday morning. It killed 17 people in the southern city of Yangjiang alone.

Hagupit left China on Thursday morning and moved into Vietnam as a severe tropical storm. In Vietnam, landslides and flooding caused by Hagupit claimed more than 20 lives.

(Xinhua News Agency September 28, 2008)