Tropical storm Francisco, the 14th such storm to hit China this year, made landfall in south China's Hainan Province shortly after midday on Monday.

The tropical storm, bringing winds of 72 km per hour, landed at Changfa Township in Wenchang County at 12:30 PM, according to the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters.

Details of the damage or any casualties caused by the storm are not yet known.

The flood control bureau issued a level four warning (with level one as the strongest) at 10 am on Monday and dispatched a four-member team to Hainan to guide the province's efforts in fighting the storm.

The four local governments of Hainan, Guangdong and Fujian provinces, and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region all issued circulars ordering all fishing boats and ships to return to land.

Francisco formed on Saturday night over the South China Sea and intensified into a tropical storm on Sunday morning.

Whirling at a speed of 15 to 20 kilometers per hour northwestward, Francisco is expected to reach the northern part of the Beibu Gulf, south of Guangxi, on Monday night.

(Xinhua News Agency September 24 , 2007)