Passenger ferries suspended as Typhoon Khanun approaches

Typhoon Khanun, the sixth typhoon this year, entered the East China Sea on Wednesday, with tides along the coast surging above the alert level, the Central Meteorological Observatory said on Wednesday.

The storm is expected to move northeast along the coast of Zhejiang province from Thursday night to Friday morning.

As of 10 am Wednesday, 33 passenger ferry routes from Wenzhou had been suspended. Others may follow, depending on the strength of the wind.

On Wednesday, winds along the coast of Wenzhou reached Level 8 and are expected to gradually increase to as high as Level 11 on Thursday. Wave heights have reached 2.9 meters.

The city upgraded its anti-typhoon emergency response to second-level at 8 pm on Tuesday.

Thirty-four law enforcement boats and rescue tugboats have been preparing to cope with possible disasters in the coming days. They hope to prevent or reduce injuries and economic losses in the city.

Fang Xiaoying in Hangzhou contributed to this story.