China issues highest alert as Typhoon Fitow nears

China's maritime and meteorological authorities on Sunday issued red alerts, the highest warning, for storm tides and waves as Typhoon Fitow approached land. Fitow, the 23rd typhoon to hit China this year, is forecast to make landfall between east China's Fujian and Zhejiang provinces early on Monday, said the National Marine Environmental Forecasting Center. The center of the storm was spotted in the seawaters 235 km southeast of Wenzhou City of Zhejiang Province at 5 p.m. Sunday, with winds of up to 151.2 km per hour. It is approaching the southeastern coast of China at a speed of 15 km to 20 km per hour. The storm will bring winds of 118.8 km to 136.8 km per hour upon its landfall, according to the National Meteorological Center. Meteorological stations in Fujian and Zhejiang both issued red alerts for Fitow. More than 400,000 people have been evacuated in Fujian and Zhejiang for the storm, local authorities said. "Typhoon prevention is a life-and-death matter. All prevention efforts must be carried out carefully," said Xia Baolong, Communist Party chief of Zhejiang Province. As of Sunday afternoon, most fishing vessels returned to harbor for shelter and tourists in coastal scenic spots in Zhejiang were evacuated. Some 30,000 fishing boats in Fujian were also called back. "I have been working in Sansha for eight years and have not ever seen typhoon at this time of the year before, "said Gong Runjian, head of the Sansha Township in Xiapu County, Fujian Province. He feared the storm would cause serious damage to the local sea laver farms, the major income for local residents. Due to the impact of the storm, downpours and strong gusts began to sweep the coastal areas of Zhejiang on Sunday afternoon. The typhoon has caused suspension of bullet trains in several cities in Zhejiang, Fujian and Jiangxi and halted services on at least 35 lines that pass cities on the typhoon route, including services between Beijing and Nanjing, Shanghai, Ningbo, Fuzhou and Xiamen. Wenzhou Airport, a pivotal airport in Zhejiang Province, canceled 27 flights on Sunday, including flights to Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Kunming. Coach services between Shanghai and Wenzhou were also suspended on Sunday. Maritime authorities in Fujian and Zhejiang have closed seaside bathing centers and other entertainment facilities on the coast. China has a four-tier color-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe, followed by orange, yellow and blue.