People trapped by typhoon rescued in S China

ZHUHAI - Local authorities rescued 177 bridge-builders who became trapped on an islet due to the approach of Typhoon Utor Tuesday night, local police said on Wednesday.

Local border police received a call Tuesday afternoon stating that 177 people working on the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge were trapped on an artificial island and would need to be relocated.

Four rescue boats were sent to retrieve the workers, local police said.

Utor, the 11th typhoon to hit China this year, is expected to make landfall in South China's Guangdong province between Wednesday evening and early Thursday morning.

The State Oceanic Administration issued a first-level emergency response on late Tuesday, urging the administration's South China sea branch to send working teams to direct disaster prevention efforts.

The administration also asked relevant departments to carry out disaster prevention work in accordance with the first-level emergency response.

Meanwhile, in Northeast China's Heilongjiang province, floods have occurred in several major rivers, including the Heilongjiang, Nenjiang and Songhuajiang rivers, due to heavy rains that have swept the province since last week.

Some scenic spots along the rivers have been closed temporarily for the safety of visitors.

According to the provincial water resources department, 2.3 million people across the province have been affected by the flooding, which has also incurred direct economic losses of 8.4 billion yuan ($1.37 billion).

The provincial government has spent 133 million yuan to support flood control efforts.