GUANGZHOU, China - Tropical storm Neoguri brushed over China’s southern Hainan island on Saturday, leaving 18 fishermen missing and stranding thousands of travelers, state-run media reported.

No deaths were immediately reported as 42,000 residents in five major cities were evacuated, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

By Saturday afternoon, China’s first typhoon this year had weakened to a tropical storm and moved into the western part of Guangdong province.

Neoguri began lashing Hainan’s northeastern coast late Friday with gusts of up to 38 miles per hour, blacking out the city of Wenchang and stranding about 3,000 passengers at the island’s main airport in Haikou, Xinhua reported.

At least 18 fishermen were missing, but Xinhua said rescue teams found 38 other fishermen who went missing while trying to flee the storm in the South China Sea. When their boats were damaged, the fishermen swam to a reef and were able to wait out the storm there, the report said.

About 21,800 boats with 80,000 fishermen were ordered to return to port ahead of the storm, Xinhua said.

Hainan is famous for its beaches, resorts, orchards and fishing industry. The island was planning to hold China’s first Ironman triathlon on Sunday, and organizers said the race was still on.