(China Daily)
Updated: 2007-10-06 08:33

TAIPEI, Taiwan: Heavy rain caused a landslide along a major highway in eastern Taiwan on Friday, and fishermen took shelter in ports as Typhoon Krosa approached the island.

No injuries were reported.

Women take shelter from rain in Taipei on October 5, 2007 as Typhoon Krosa approaches Taiwan. [Agencies]

The British typhoon-tracking system Tropical Storm Risk called Krosa a category 4 typhoon, the same size as Hurricane Katrina, which killed more than 1,700 people in the United States in 2005.

As of 5 pm, Krosa packed winds of 184 km per hour, the island's central weather bureau said.

It said the typhoon's center was located about 410 km east of coastal Pingtung County and would make landfall on the northern part of the island early on Sunday, provided it maintained its current course.

The bureau warned the public to be aware of the possibility of heavy wind and rain.

Disaster authorities monitoring Typhoon Krosa's approach issued land and sea warnings for most of Taiwan, pulling fishing boats back to port and asking weekend adventurers to avoid stormy beaches and mountains prone to mudslides.

"We're calling this a strong storm," said Lin Kuan-chen, a disaster centre inspector. "We expect high waves at the coast and downpours in the mountains."

On the Chinese mainland, the flood control and drought relief department in coastal Zhejiang Province issued a notice ordering officials back to work from vacation to prepare for the typhoon, according to a notice on the government website www.china.com.cn.

The mainland is on the tail end of a weeklong national holiday, meaning there are likely to be more than the usual number of tourists in the province's coastal areas, the report said.

"Safeguarding the large number of individual tourists, especially those driving in private cars, independent travelers and other groups, has become the important task of each locality and department," it said.

Zhejiang was battered last year by Typhoon Saomai, the strongest the mainland had seen in 50 years, and its coastal areas were drenched by Typhoon Wipha last month.

Krosa was expected to hit the province on Sunday or Monday, the report said, citing the Zhejiang weather bureau.

In another development, the death toll from Typhoon Lekima, which struck Vietnam this week, rose to 17 on Friday when 14 more bodies were recovered.