Two fishermen were missing as huge waves capsized their boat off China's east coast on Saturday as the country braces for the forthcoming typhoon Molave.

Border police in Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, received a report at around 11 a.m. saying all three fishermen had fallen into sea waters near Wenzhou after their boat capsized in high waves.

Police saved at 12:00 PM one fisherman who was holding a plank.

Rescue operation continues.

As typhoon Molave approaches southeast China on Saturday, local people are taking measures to prepare for it.

More than 600 fishing boats were in the Xiangzhi National Fish Harbor of Fujian Province, where soldiers were helping anchor the boats. They also persuaded some 3,000 fishermen to evacuate.

In the cities of Zhangzhou, Quanzhou, Putian and Fuzhou where the typhoon was likely to affect, 1,680 people in vessels returned to seek shelters on land.

Some 3.89 million mobile phone messages were sent by 5:00 PM in the province, warning people to be alert of the typhoon.

Molave, the 6th tropical storm this year which became typhoon Saturday morning, was located at some 290 kilometers away from Shenzhen of Guangdong, according to the Fujian provincial weather bureau.

It unleashed gale and torrential rain in Fujian at about 5:15 PM.

Two flights from Quanzhou of Fujian to Kinmen of Taiwan were cancelled. It was not known when could the flights resume.

In the Guangdong Province, more than 20 million mobile phone messages were sent out by 2:00 PM.

The provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters issued warning to order ships return to harbor and people in dangerous areas evacuate.

Molave was likely to make landfall between Huilai and Taishan in east and central part of Guangdong Sunday morning, said the provincial weather bureau.

(Xinhua News Agency July 19, 2009)