The eye of Typhoon Utor was only 320 km away from Sanya City in south China's island province of Hainan, at 5:00 PM Wednesday, according to an alarm from the Chinese Central Meteorological Station.

 

Rainstorms will hit most parts of the province as a result of the influence by Typhoon Utor and the cold air, with high wind sweeping most parts of South China Sea and east part of the island, the station predicted.

 

The weakened Typhoon Utor is moving northwestward at 10 km per hour.

 

According to Hainan meteorological authorities, more than 20,000 fishing boats have returned to harbor by Wednesday as the province is bracing against the upcomig typhoon.

 

Utor was the 23rd tropical storm this year before it strengthened into a typhoon and made landfall in the Philippines on Saturday afternoon.

 

According to the Philippine authorities, Typhoon Utor moved away from the Philippines on Tuesday toward southern China, leaving at least five dead and 15 missing in its wake.

 

(Xinhua News Agency December 14, 2006)