A typhoon pummelled China's eastern coast yesterday, toppling houses, flooding villages and forcing nearly a million people to flee to safety. Officials rode bicycles to distribute food to residents trapped by rising waters.

Typhoon Morakot struck after triggering the worst flooding in Taiwan in 50 years, leaving dozens missing and feared dead and toppling a six-storey hotel. It earlier lashed the Philippines, killing at least 21 people.

Morakot, which means 'emerald' in Thai, made landfall in China's eastern Fujian province, carrying heavy rain and winds of 74 miles (119km) per hour, according the China Meteorological Adminis-tration. At least one child died after a house collapsed on him in Zhejiang province.

Stranded by flood

People stumbled with flashlights as the storm enveloped the town of Beibi in Fujian in darkness, the official Xinhua News Agency said. Strong winds uprooted trees or snapped them apart, while farmers tried to catch fish swept out of fish farms by high waves.

Village officials in Zhejiang rode bicycles to hand out drinking water and instant noodles to residents stranded by deep floods, while rescuers tried to reach eight sailors on a cargo ship blown on to a reef off Fujian, Xinhua reported.

Morakot was expected to weaken as it travelled north at about six miles (10km) per hour, but still bring strong winds and heavy rains to Shanghai, the meteorological administration said.

Flood control officials in Shanghai released water stored in inland rivers to reduce levels in preparation, Xinhua said.

Taiwan, meanwhile, was recovering after the storm dumped more than 80 inches of rain on some southern counties Friday and Saturday, the worst flooding to hit the area in half a century, the Central Weather Bureau reported.

Taiwan's Disaster Relief Centre said a woman was killed when her vehicle plunged into a ditch in Kaohsiung county in heavy rain Friday, and two men drowned in Pingtung and Tainan. It said 31 were missing and feared dead.