GUANGZHOU (BERNAMA) - Khanun, the 20th typhoon this year, made landfall at around 3.25am local time on Monday (Oct 16) in Xuwen county, south China's Guangdong province, bringing gales of 28m per second at its eye, China's Xinhua news agency reported, citing local meteorological authorities.

Rain started to fall in some cities in Guangdong from Monday morning, but did not considerably affect the daily lives of locals.

According to Guangdong Flood Control and Drought Relief headquarters, as of 6pm on Sunday, more than 368,000 people within heavily affected areas in the province had been evacuated. In addition, 188 scenic spots in the cities of Zhanjiang, Maoming, Yangjiang and Jiangmen were closed with more than 38,200 tourists evacuated. And more than 48,300 fishing boats were pulled ashore.

In Zhanjiang, where Xuwen county is located, work at all 459 construction sites had been suspended, and schools and ferry ports were ordered to shut down.

In neighbouring Fujian province, 17,152 ships with 28,691 crew members had returned to port as of Sunday, while 4,041 coastal residents have been evacuated. Local authorities also closed 51 tourist attractions and 547 construction sites.

On the island province of Hainan, schools and kindergartens were asked to remain closed on Monday. Some 24,278 fishing boats are taking shelter in port, with 507,764 crew members.

As of 7am on Monday, Khanun had weakened to a tropical storm, and the Guangdong Flood Control and Drought Relief headquarters lowered its emergency response level at 8am.