HAIKOU -- Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated to safety in South China's Hainan province as Typhoon Wutip, the first typhoon of the year, is approaching.

As of 8 pm Thursday, the province had evacuated a total of 16,561 people from construction sites, low-lying flood-prone areas, and regions at risk of flash floods.

All the province's 30,721 fishing vessels had either returned to ports or taken shelter elsewhere, with over 40,000 people working on the vessels having been evacuated ashore.

As Typhoon Wutip continued to strengthen, the provincial meteorological service maintained a Level III typhoon alert as of 11 am Friday.

As of 10 am on Friday, the storm's center was located over coastal waters near Ledong Li autonomous county, with maximum sustained winds near the center reaching 28 meters per second. By 8 p.m., downpours are expected in many parts of the province.

According to meteorological forecasts at noon, Typhoon Wutip is expected to move northward at a speed of 5 to 10 kilometers per hour, with little change in intensity.

Wutip may make landfall or brush the coast between Ledong county and Dongfang city on Friday as a severe tropical storm, packing winds of 25 to 28 meters per second.