Heavy rainstorms are expected to strike Shenzhen in the middle of this week with typhoon Chanchu approaching Guangdong after causing the deaths of 32 people in the Philippines.

The Shenzhen Meteorological Station located Chanchu at 14 degrees north latitude and 116.7 degrees east longitude at 2 p.m. yesterday. The typhoon, whose name means "pearl," will move northward at a speed of 12 kilometers per hour and close in on Guangdong today with increasing force.

Under its influence, Shenzhen will see rainstorms from tomorrow night to Thursday, said weather forecaster Zhu Xiaoya. The maximum temperature will drop to 29 degrees Celsius during the period, she said.

"However, it's still unclear if the typhoon will land in Shenzhen," said Zhu. If it did, it would be the first typhoon to hit Shenzhen in May in 17 years.

The city's disaster relief office has told the relevant government departments to oversee reservoirs and mountains ahead of the typhoon.

The typhoon, which formed in the Pacific Ocean about 550 kilometers to the east of Mindanao Island in the Philippines on May 9, caused the deaths of 32 people and left more than 1,000 others homeless in the country.

Most of those killed were on a boat that capsized off Masbate Island south of the Luzon region. At least 21 people on the vessel, named the Mae Ann, were killed and 18 were rescued, Coast Guard spokesman Joseph Coyme said.

Editor: Yan