China's Hainan suspends ferry services as typhoon Yagi nears

HAIKOU, Sept. 4 (Xinhua) -- China's southernmost province of Hainan on Wednesday suspended part of coastal ferry services in an upgraded emergency response to approaching typhoon Yagi.

While monitoring Yagi, the provincial meteorological service on Wednesday said it was gaining strength as it moves towards the island province, packing winds of up to 126 km per hour at its center.

Yagi was forecasted to make a landfall somewhere between the city of Qionghai in Hainan and Dianbai District in the city of Maoming, south China's Guangdong Province on Friday.

Hainan upgraded its emergency response level for typhoons from Level IV to Level III on Wednesday.

The province plans to suspend ferry services across the Qiongzhou Strait from Thursday along with all passenger train services into and out of the island from Thursday to Saturday, according to the provincial transport department Wednesday.