Taiwan's weather bureau on Tuesday put the island on full alert for the approach of Typhoon Utor as the weather front gained momentum.
Weather officials warned vessels in Bashi channel and waters off Taiwan to take precautions against the typhoon, the third severe system to threaten the island this year.
With a radius of 350 kilometers (210 miles), Utor was about 1,020 kilometers (612 miles) southeast of Taiwan's southern-most tip, Oluanpi, at 09:00 pm (1300 GMT) Tuesday.
Packing winds of around 120 kilometers per hour (75 miles per hour), Utor was moving northwest towards Taiwan at 33 kilometers per hour (21 miles per hour), the bureau said.
A previous front, tropical storm Chebi, left 17 dead and 13 missing last week.
Tropical storm Cimaro hit the island in May but left no major causulties or damage.
(Agencies 07/03/2001)
