Storm Ahead: China Evacuates

More than a million people were evacuated as Typhoon Krosa roared toward China's southeast coast Sunday morning, weakening to a tropical storm after killing four people in Taiwan, government agencies and news reports said.

The storm is due to hit the densely populated coast in Zhejiang or Fujian provinces later today, the China Meteorological Administration reported.

Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau said Krosa had weakened to a tropical storm by 0030GMT (4.30am UAE time) today, with sustained winds of 108km/h, down from 184km/h.

People were evacuated from low-lying coastal areas, including more than 500,000 tourists who were at beach resorts for the National Day holiday week, the Chinese government's Xinhua News Agency reported.

On Saturday, Krosa killed four people in Taiwan as it knocked out power to two million homes and drenched the island with torrential rains, according to Taiwan's Disaster Relief Centre.

Meanwhile, floods and landslides triggered by Typhoon Lekima, which made landfall in Vietnam's central coast last week, have killed at least 46 people, officials said Sunday.

Twenty-nine others were missing and feared dead. Nghe An is the worst-hit province with 16 deaths. Fifteen people were reported missing, said Pham Hong Thuong, a provincial disaster official.

“Communication links to many parts of the province is still cut off,” Thuong said. “Death toll is likely to rise,” he added. 

Beijing offer weather service

Beijing will offer an English-language weather service on phones to its residents and tourists, who will watching the next year’s Olympics.

The new service is an expansion of the current "12121" weather line, which only offered Chinese language forecasts, said Ding Deping, head of the Meteorological Science and Technology Service Center under the Beijing Municipal Meteorological Bureau.

"The number of transient foreigners in Beijing is estimated at about two million and will likely increase during next year's Olympics, so it's very necessary to offer English-language weather information," he said.

Ding said the "12121" English-language service would be gradually expanded to include weather information at scenic areas, forecasts for motorists and for holidays and festivals.