FUZHOU, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- China's southeast Fujian Province has launched an emergency response for an upcoming typhoon, the provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters said Wednesday.

Typhoon Yutu is located on the South China Sea about 730 kilometers southeast of Zhaoan County and is moving northwest at a maximum speed of 15 km per hour.

The headquarters said the typhoon intensity would remain or increase in the following three days.

The province launched an emergency response at 2 p.m. Tuesday. Coastal cities and counties, including Putian, Quanzhou, Xiamen and Pingtan, have made preparations.

So far, nearly 10,000 fishing boats have returned to harbor. Around 700 elderly, women and children have been evacuated from fish farms in south Fujian's coastal areas.

The city of Xiamen has issued a yellow alert for the typhoon.

Ferry services between Xiamen and Kinmen in Taiwan have been halted since 6 p.m. and more than 500 boats have returned to Xiamen port.