BEIJING - Chinese authorities on Monday issued a disaster relief alert as typhoon Kalmaegi approached south China's coastal regions.

The National Disaster Reduction Commission and the Ministry of Civil Affairs urged local departments to be on around the clock stand by and supervise preparation for the typhoon to reduce potential losses.

Civil affair departments in southeast China's Fujian Province, south China's Guangdong, Guangxi and Hainan as well as southwest China's Guizhou and Yunnan provinces should issue timely disaster information and allocate materials and funds to guarantee people's basic living in affected areas.

According to the National Meteorological Center, the center of the typhoon was located abut 975 kilometers to the southeast of Leizhou, Guangdong Province, at 5 a.m. Monday, moving at 30 km per hour towards the northwest.

From Monday to Thursday, the typhoon is expected to bring strong winds and rainstorms in Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, Guizhou and Yunnan.