Damrey, the 18th typhoon to hit China this year, landed on the north of Wanning, the eastern part of China's southernmost island province of Hainan, at 4:00 in the morning on Monday. Damrey is the strongest typhoon to batter Hainan since 1974, according to the Hainan Provincial Meteorological Station.

The typhoon, clocking wind speeds of 55 meters per second at its center, dwarfed all that have hit Hainan since 1960, except for Typhoon No. 7314, which hit the province on September 13, 1973, Cai Qinbo, deputy director of the Hainan Provincial Meteorological Station, said.

The typhoon is moving westward and is expected to weep across the whole island in the next few hours, Cai added.

Heavy rainstorms are expected as a result, and experts fear that Damrey will severely damage rice, rubber and banana harvests.

(Xinhua News Agency September 26, 2005)