Typhoon Haitang lashed eastern Taiwan Monday morning and is moving toward the coast of northern and central Fujian Province, east China, with force 12 wind at its center, the Fujian provincial meteorological station said Monday.

As a result, 19 flights flying from Hong Kong to Taiwan were canceled and another 25 flights are expected to be delayed to Monday noon or afternoon, according to reports from Hong Kong. Twenty-four flights from Taiwan to Hong Kong will also be canceled.

The provincial meteorological station of Fujian, which sees Taiwan across the sea, forecast that typhoon Haitang would land the coast between Quanzhou and Ningde cities of the province early Tuesday morning or Tuesday noon.

According to the weather station, fresh gales swept over the coastal areas of northern and central Fujian Monday morning and force 7-8 wind were reported in the southern coastal areas of the province.

The weather station forecast heavy rains with gales may strike most part of Fujian from Monday night to Wednesday, with rainstorms likely to pelt Ningde, Fuzhou and Putian in the coming two days.

To reduce the damage caused by typhoon Haitang to the minimum, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has urged the local governments to be well prepared.

The State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters issued a circular, calling on local governments in Fujian to move people to safe places and to take effective measures to safeguard the people's life and property.

Source: Xinhua