Tropical storm Toraji on Thursday slammed into the southern coast of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, bringing strong winds and heavy rain.

Toraji struck Dongxing City at 4:50 PM at a speed of 33 meters per second, reaching force 12 on the Beaufort Scale, according to local meteorological station.

Guangxi has issued warnings to all boats to dock at the popular tourist site near Weizhou Island and Fangcheng Port.

The storm is expected to bring strong winds and heavy rainfall to the cities of Beihai, Qinzhou, Chongzuo and Nanning, capital of Guangxi.

The city governments have been told to monitor the tropical storm, which may cause landslides and floods.

Toraji, a type of flower in Korean, is the third storm to hit the southern coastal area of China this year.

(Xinhua News Agency July 6, 2007)