S China braces for tropical storm Talim

BEIJING, June 19 (Xinhua) -- More than 80,000 ships have taken shelter and over 60,000 residents have been evacuated in Guangdong and Fujian provinces as tropical storm Talim approached southern China Tuesday.

Talim, the fifth tropical storm this year, was located about 380 km from Shantou, Guangdong province, at 4 p.m. Tuesday, and was moving northeast at a speed of 15 km per hour, according to the Guangdong Meteorological Center.

The storm is expected to enter the Taiwan Strait or make landfall in Guangdong or Fujian on Wednesday, bringing strong gales and torrential downpours to the region, the center said.

The two provinces have ordered fishing vessels to harbor, and fishermen and coastal residents have been evacuated upon warnings of high waves.

A mass evacuation was also reported in south China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, where heavy rainfalls brought by the storm have unleashed floods and toppled hundreds of residences.