2010-09-19 11:50

Farmers collect their lettuce crops in advance as Typhoon Fanapi approaches Ilan county, north eastern Taiwan, Sept 18, 2010. Taiwan authorities issued warnings on Saturday for the mid-strength typhoon packing wind gusts as strong as 191 kph (119 mph) and shaping up as the island's most severe storm of the year. [Photo/Agencies]

XIAMEN, Fujian - The shipping route linking Xiamen, in East China's Fujian province, and Jinmen, in Taiwan, was closed Sunday in the wake of Typhoon Fanapi, said local authorities Sunday.

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The route, the shortest link between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan, was closed at midnight Saturday and all tourist attractions in Xiamen would be closed at noon Sunday, according to Xiamen Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters.

Fanapi was expected to land on east Taiwan's coastal county of Hualien Sunday morning, sweep cross the island and then reach the mainland coast Monday, according to Xiamen Meteorological Observatory forecast.

It is forecast to make a landfall between Fujian's Jinjiang City and Shantou City, in Guangdong Province Monday morning, the observatory said.

The eye of Fanapi was 40 kilometers east of Hualien in Taiwan at 7 am Sunday and was moving westward at a speed of 20 km per hour, the observatory said.

Fishing boats rest at a port in Ilan, Southeast China's Taiwan, to escape from the onslaught of Fanapi, an upcoming typhoon, Sept 18, 2010. Counties and cities in Taiwan are bracing for the approaching typhoon Fanapi, as the local meteorological department forecasts it will make landfall over the eastern part of Taiwan early Sunday morning. [Photo/Xinhua]