HAIKOU, Oct. 3 -- South China's Hainan and Guangdong provinces suspended air and train services and shut some of coastal tourist destinations Saturday as they brace for typhoon Mujigae, which is expected to land on Sunday morning.
Tourism departments in Haikou and Sanya, the two largest cities in the island province of Hainan, have closed all mountain activities over safety concerns.
At 4 p.m. Saturday, the storm was about 470 kilometers off the coast of Zhanjiang City, Guangdong Province, packing strong winds of up to 33 meters per second.
The storm is forecast to move northwest at a speed of 20 km per hour until it reaches the shores in Wenchang City of Hainan on Sunday morning.
Gale brought by the approaching typhoon forced high-speed trains linking Haikou and Sanya to suspend service on Saturday and Sunday.
The Haikou Meilan International Airport canceled 68 flights on Saturday. Expressways on the island have not been affected so far.
More than 25,000 fishing boats in Hainan have returned to harbor and 6,955 fishermen have been evacuated.
In Guangdong, 38,900 fishing boats have returned to harbor or nearby shelters. More than 10,000 fishermen went ashore from their fish farms.
The Guangdong provincial government ordered suspension of all maritime travel and entertainment activities.
The tropical storm coincides with China's week-long National Day holiday, and many tourists are vacationing on the Hainan island.
More than 80,000 people visited Hainan on Friday, up 8.65 percent from the same period a year ago, statistics from the province show.
Provincial authorities suspended trains and ferries between the island and the mainland on Friday night.
Airports in Hainan are also expected to readjust flights and make arrangements for stranded passengers.
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