BEIJING/FUZHOU/CHANGCHUN - China's Ministry of Transport on Thursday upgraded the emergency response to Typhoon Gaemi to Level II, the second highest level.

Typhoon Gaemi, the third typhoon of this year, was located 55 km southeast of waters off Pingtan in East China's Fujian province at 10 am Thursday, according to a red alert renewed by the National Meteorological Center.

China has a four-tier emergency response system for typhoons, with Level I being the highest.

Gaemi made its initial landfall in eastern Taiwan's Yilan county around midnight Thursday, leaving two dead and 201 injured. 

Currently, it is forecast to move northwest at an estimated speed of about 15 kilometers per hour and is expected to make its second landfall along the Chinese mainland coast from Lianjiang to Xiuyu in Fujian sometime between Thursday afternoon and evening. 

Also on Thursday, some high-speed trains bound for Zhejiang and Fujian provinces from Guangdong province were suspended as Gaemi approaches, according to local railway operators.

Trains between Shenzhen and Hangzhou, as well as those on the line between Meizhou and Shantou in Guangdong were suspended, China Railway (Guangzhou) Group said.

In areas not affected by the typhoon, or where its impact has waned, the railway operator has strategically adjusted its transportation capacity.

Eighty high-speed trains between Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Chaozhou and Shantou were added on Thursday to meet the travel demands of short-distance passengers during the summer travel rush.

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Fujian had relocated 156,800 residents as of 7 am Thursday, said local authorities. Over 29,000 people working on fishing rafts along its coast have been evacuated to the shore, and 733 fishing boats have taken shelter at ports and some 3,200 people aboard have been evacuated ashore, according to the provincial flood control office.

Han Yanhong, from the China Meteorological Administration, said at an online news conference on Thursday morning that heavy winds will hit coastal ports in Taiwan, Fujian and Zhejiang from Thursday to Friday due to the landfall of Typhoon Gaemi.

Public transport in Fujian and its neighboring provinces including Zhejiang, Guangdong, Jiangxi and Anhui will be affected by the typhoon, with roads and highways may be having accumulated water and poor visibility because of winds and torrential rains. She reminded the public of safety concerns as continuous rainfall may cause disasters of landslides or mudslides at mountain roads or bridges and tunnels.

Typhoon Gaemi has fast movement speed and high water vapor content, which will affect over 10 provinces after landing in Fujian, according to the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters and the Ministry of Emergency Management.

The two central departments organized a coordination meeting on Wednesday, urging local authorities of Fujian and Zhejiang to fully prepared for the landfall of the typhoon by relocating residents, suspending coastal tourism activities, transport and sea-crossing bridges to avoid any possible casualties.

As of 10 am on Thursday, 73 passenger ferry routes including four cross-Strait routes along the coast of Fujian — 203 passenger ferries altogether — have suspended operations.

Local maritime authorities in Fujian have issued more than 2,000 maritime typhoon alerts, evacuating 1,334 vessels from affected areas and relocating more than 4,000 maritime personnel.

Also, 92 marine projects at sea have suspended work, and construction vessels and personnel have been evacuated.

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Influenced by the typhoon, from 6 am Wednesday to 6 am Thursday, 104 townships in 20 counties across Fujian saw an accumulative precipitation exceeding 50 millimeters, among which 25 townships exceeded 100 millimeters. The highest was registered in Guanyang township, Fuding city, reaching 178.7 millimeters, said local meteorological authorities.

Two missing after Northeast China mudslide

Separately, two people remain missing following a mudslide triggered by heavy downpours on Wednesday in Northeast China's Jilin province, local authorities said on Thursday.

Around 6:20 pm on Wednesday, a mudslide occurred in Naozhi township, in the city of Linjiang in Jilin, causing two people to fall into water. Heavy rainfall started in the township at about 5 pm on Wednesday, resulting in accumulative two-hour precipitation of 96.8 millimeters, the city's flood control and drought relief headquarters said.

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Rescue work is continuing. Currently, some 125 affected local residents have been relocated.