Typhoon Kaemi hits China, 700,000 evacuated

Typhoon Kaemi has struck China's southeast coast, sparking the evacuation of more than 700,000 people in an area still reeling from a tropical storm that claimed 600 lives.

The typhoon, which earlier passed over Taiwan, causing widespread disruption but little damage, has hit mainland China's Fujian province.

Kaemi also brushed past the Philippines, triggering heavy rain which caused floods around the capital, Manila.

With the storm packing winds of up to 120 kilometres per hour as it approached China, authorities evacuated more than 643,000 people from Fujian province, and another 80,000 from neighboring Zhejiang.

Fujian is still trying to cope with the impact of Bilis, which struck mainland China on July 14, killing at least 43 people in the province.

The Xinhua news agency says Zhejiang, which did not suffer too badly from Bilis, is preparing for a much tougher time with Kaemi.

Neighboring Guangdong province to the south, where 106 people were killed in Bilis, is also making preparations for strong winds and heavy rain, even though it is not expected to be directly hit by Kaemi.

According to the latest government figures, Bilis killed at least 612 people in southern, eastern and central China, with 208 still missing.

- RADIO AUSTRALIA