China ? Typhoon Neoguri weakened into a tropical storm Friday after hitting China’s southern island province of Hainan, where 120,000 people fled low-lying areas and thousands more were stranded at an airport, state-run media reported.

The typhoon – the first to threaten China this year – began lashing the city of Wenchang on Hainan’s northeast coast late Friday night. Xinhua News Agency reported it blacked out the city but Neoguri, which means “raccoon” in Korean, had been packing winds of 75 mph before weakening to tropical storm strength at 67 mph.

The storm was on course to hit southern Guangdong province with a weakening force and heavy rains Saturday afternoon, Xinhua said.

The agency reported 18 fishermen out of 56 who had sought shelter on a reef off Hainan’s coast remained missing. The other 38 had been rescued. As the storm approached Hainan, officials ordered 21,800 fishing boats to seek safe places, Xinhua said.