A cargo vessel and six seamen onboard were confirmed missing in the South China Sea on Sunday as Super Typhoon Haiyan hit the South China coast, causing strong winds and huge waves, maritime authorities said.

The vessel had been anchored in Sanya, Hainan province, when its mooring rope broke amid heavy seas, according to the Sanya maritime bureau.

Local authorities have dispatched a rescue team to search for the vessel.

Haiyan is the most powerful typhoon to hit China this year, bringing torrential rain and strong winds to coastal regions and disrupting transportation in South China.

More than 72,000 people had been evacuated in Hainan, Guangxi and Guangdong as of 8 pm on Saturday, the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters said.

"It is an unusually strong typhoon, causing great devastation," said Gao Suanzhu, a typhoon expert at the National Meteorological Center, adding that downpours and gales are expected to continue until Monday.

Wang Qian

(China Daily 11/11/2013 page12)