Fu Cifu, a forecaster in the center, warned Chinese tourists and residents in the affected region to stay in safe areas.

Two Shanghai Airlines flights heading from Shanghai Pudong Airport for Phuket Island, off the southwest coast of Thailand, due to take off at 9:15 pm and 20:15 pm, were cancelled immediately. However, the flights heading for Bangkok were about to take off according to schedule.

"We have a tour group setting off on Thursday, but so far we have not received any notice from the Shanghai Municipal Tourism Administrative Commission. According to our previous experience, the authorities usually release the notice on the second day," said a sales manager, surnamed Gu, at Qiangsheng Travel, adding that the trips to Bangkok have not been affected.

A tsunami watch means there is the potential for a tsunami, not that one is imminent.

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