Ferry services suspended in south China strait as typhoon approaches

HAIKOU -- South China's Hainan province has ordered the suspension of all ferry services in the Qiongzhou Strait starting Tuesday evening as a typhoon approaches.

The ferry services across the Qiongzhou Strait are to be halted starting 7 p.m. Tuesday, while train services into and out of the tropical island will also be suspended, the Hainan maritime safety administration said Tuesday.

Typhoon Higos, the seventh typhoon of the year, was about 530 km east of the city of Wuchuan, Guangdong Province, at 2 pm Tuesday. It is expected to make landfall in the western coastal part of Guangdong on Wednesday.

The typhoon was forecast to bring heavy rains to the provinces of Hainan, Guangdong, Yunnan and Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, according to the Central Meteorological Station.