China's coastal provinces up emergency response as Typhoon Doksuri approaches

GUANGZHOU, July 26 (Xinhua) -- South China's Guangdong Province has upgraded its typhoon emergency response to Level III, the third-highest level, as Typhoon Doksuri moves closer.

The provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters raised the response level at 5 p.m. Tuesday.

It is anticipated to be the strongest typhoon to impact eastern Guangdong in nearly a decade, the Guangdong provincial meteorological authorities said.

Guangdong is expecting Doksuri to bring torrential downpours and strong winds in some areas. Local authorities issued early warning information to the public, warning ships and workers operating in nearby seas to return to ports in time to take shelter.

The railway station in Shantou City will suspend some high-speed train services from Wednesday to Sunday.

On Wednesday, east China's Zhejiang Province activated a Level-IV emergency response for the typhoon. So far, all 1,588 people involved in mariculture in Zhejiang have gone ashore, and all 15,603 fishing vessels have sought shelter in ports.

China's national observatory on Wednesday morning issued a red alert for Typhoon Doksuri, the most severe warning in its four-tier warning system, as the fifth typhoon of this year is expected to bring gales and heavy rain to the eastern and southern parts of the country.

The severe typhoon will most likely make landfall in the coastal areas of Jinjiang City in east China's Fujian Province and the bordering areas of Fujian and Guangdong provinces on Friday, the National Meteorological Center said in a statement.