Typhoon Rammasun approaching South China Sea

A powerful typhoon is expected to approach the South China Sea on Wednesday morning after lashing the eastern Philippines, said China's maritime authorities.

Typhoon Rammasun, which was located about 510 km east of Manila at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, has forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of people in the Philippines.

It is expected to raise waves as high as 5 to 7 meters in the east of the South China Sea from Wednesday noon to Thursday noon, with yellow alerts issued by the National Marine Environmental Forecasting Center.

China has a four-tier weather warning system, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow and blue.

Waves up to nine meters are expected in the north of the South China Sea and waves between 3.5 to 4.5 meters are expected to hit the eastern coast of Hainan from Thursday to Friday.