China's Hainan on alert as typhoon Nesat nears

HAIKOU, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- South China's Hainan Province has suspended strait ferry and round-the-island train services as Typhoon Nesat approaches.

As of 4 p.m. Tuesday, the center of Nesat was about 115 km northeast of the city of Sansha, the National Meteorological Center said. Packing winds of up to 144 km per hour, Nesat was forecast to move southwestward at a speed of 15 km per hour, with its force weakening slowly.

The storm was forecast to bring heavy rains and strong gales to the island province from Tuesday to Wednesday.

According to the transport and port authorities in the provincial capital of Haikou, ferry operations across the Qiongzhou Strait could be halted for over 60 hours starting from 3 a.m. Tuesday.

Hainan has also suspended the high-speed train services that loop around the island. Meanwhile, kindergartens in Haikou and Sanya have suspended classes.