Typhoon Haitang lashed eastern Taiwan on Monday morning and is moving towards the coast of northern and central Fujian Province, east China, with force 12 winds, the Fujian provincial meteorological station said on Monday.

As a result, 19 flights flying from Hong Kong to Taiwan were canceled and another 25 flights delayed, according to reports from Hong Kong. Twenty-four more flights from Taiwan to Hong Kong will also be canceled.

Meanwhile, at least 39 flights between Taiwan and Macao were canceled on Monday. Staff at Macao International Airport said that most of these included Air Macao, Eva Airways and TransAsia flights to and from Taiwan.

The provincial meteorological station of Fujian, which is just across the sea from Taiwan, forecast that typhoon Haitang would hits the coast between Quanzhou and Ningde cities either early Tuesday morning or by mid-day.

According to the weather station, fresh gales swept over the coastal areas of northern and central Fujian on Monday morning and force 7-8 winds were reported in the southern coastal areas of the province.

Heavy rains with gales are forecast to strike most of Fujian from Monday night through to Wednesday, with rainstorms likely to pelt Ningde, Fuzhou and Putian in the next two days.

The State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters issued a circular, calling on local governments in Fujian to evacuate residents and for emergency measures to kick in.

(Xinhua News Agency July 18, 2005)