Hainan - At least six people died after Typhoon Haiyan slashed across China's south coast and damaged hundreds of homes, state-run media said on Monday.
Three pedestrians were hit by falling walls or advertising hoardings in the southern island province of Hainan, a local newspaper said. One drowned in the neighbouring Guangxi Zhuang region, according to the official Xinhua news agency.
Two sailors were found dead after their cargo ship was cast adrift in the storm, Xinhua added, citing maritime rescue authorities in Hainan, and rescuers were still searching for another five crew members lost at sea.
Nearly 600 houses were damaged and 51 collapsed in the downpours and strong winds brought by the typhoon, the civil affairs ministry said in a statement, and 39 000 people were evacuated in Hainan.
The storm has weakened significantly since scathing through the Philippines at the weekend, where it is feared to have killed more than 10 000 people as it pulverised towns and villages.
It packed winds of 118 kilometres per hour when it hit Guangxi after making landfall in Vietnam, according to Xinhua.
Beijing, which is embroiled in a territorial dispute with Manila over islands in the South China Sea, said it would provide $100 000 in cash and “humanitarian emergency relief assistance” to the Philippines.
“We will take into consideration the developments of the disaster and coordinate with relevant international organisations to see what we can do,” said foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang. - AFP