At least 120,000 evacuated, 18 missing as typhoon hits south China

China MapBeijing - Tropical storm Neoguri swept China's southern Hainan island Saturday, leaving 18 fishermen missing and stranding thousands of others, Chinese news agency Xinhua reported.

Xinhua reported that 18 fishermen were missing, but said rescue teams found 38 other fishermen who went missing while trying to flee the storm in the South China Sea.

At least 120,000 people were evacuated in advance of the typhoon hitting Hainan and 21,800 fishing boats with 80,000 fishermen were ordered to return to port ahead of the storm, Xinhua said

By Saturday afternoon, China's first typhoon of the year had weakened to a tropical storm and moved into the western part of Guangdong province.

In the province of Guandoung a further 20,000 boats returned to port ahead of the storm which began lasting Hainan's north-eastern coat late Friday with gusts of up to 38 miles per hours.

Neoguri began lashing Hainan's north-eastern coast late Friday with gusts of up to 38 miles per hour, blacking out the city of Wenchang and stranding about 3,000 passengers at the island's main airport in Haikou, Xinhua reported.

Nearby Hong Kong was also raised a storm alert on Friday.

Neoguri is the second earliest typhoon to hit the area since detailed weather records began in 1946, the Hong Kong Observatory said. (dpa)

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