Over 18,700 fishing boats returned to port as Typhoon Mitag approaches

HANGZHOU, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- A total of 18,741 fishing boats in eastern China's Zhejiang Province have returned to port or taken shelter in safe waters as of Tuesday morning ahead of Mitag, the 18th typhoon of the year.

According to the National Meteorological Center, Mitag is forecast to sweep or land near the waters in northern Zhejiang on Tuesday afternoon at the earliest before moving northeast.

The provincial ocean monitoring and forecasting center has issued a red alert for storms. Local authorities have banned fishing activities, reinforced facilities and ordered evacuations of coastal areas.