Fuzhou (China), Aug 9 (Xinhua) At least one person was killed and millions affected as Typhoon Morakot slammed into Chinese provinces on the eastern coast Sunday, destroying houses and inundating farmlands.

Morakot landed in the coastal areas of Beibi Town, Xiapu county in Fujian province, at 4.20 p.m., packing winds with speeds of up to 118.8 kmph in its eye, the province's meteorological bureau said.

The sky turned completely dark in Beibi and people caught in strong winds staggered with flashlights on. Many trees were uprooted, with some even breaking apart in strong winds.

Farmers were trying to recapture a sizeable quantity of fish flushed from mudflat aquafarms by uprising waves.

In Fuzhou, capital of Fujian, 34 domestic flights were cancelled and 20 delayed because of unfavourable weather conditions. The city also suspended most passenger bus services.

In Zhejiang province, more than 3.4 million people were affected as hundreds of villages were flooded and more than 1,800 houses collapsed.

A total of 155 passenger ships were cancelled and more than 7,400 vessels were called back from the sea as the province's maritime authority raised the typhoon alarm to a red alert, its highest level, Sunday morning.

The economic loss was estimated at 2.2 billion yuan ($322 million) as 143,000 hectares of farmland were damaged and nearly 9,000 enterprises suspended production.