Beijing/Taipei - China evacuated around 1 million people from south-eastern coastal areas as deadly Typhoon Morakot approached Sunday, local media reported.

More than 473,300 residents from Zhejiang province as well as at least 480,000 in neighbouring Fujian had been relocated, and 35,440 ships had returned to shore as Morakot moved towards the coast at a rate of 10 kilometres per hour, official Xinhua news agency reported.

The typhoon churned towards China after unleashing worst flooding in Taiwan in 50 years during the weekend, with three people reported dead, 31 missing and more than 105 injured, Taiwan's police and rescue units said.

Flashfloods and mudslides were reported in southern and eastern Taiwan, inundating 131 roads and bridges. A major bridge in the southern county of Pingtung collapsed, resulting in two vehicles with three people plunging into the running river, police said.

A six-storey resort hotel in the eastern county of Taitung was uprooted by rushing waters and slammed into the river along with five adjacent restaurants and houses, police said. Tourists and hotel staff had evacuated just before the building collapsed.

Floodwaters at waist high were reported in various areas in southern and eastern Taiwan as Morakot dumped a record 2,500 millimetres of rain by Sunday morning, police and weathermen said.

The storm also caused power outages to more than 1.5 million households and cut water supply to some 450,000 families, police said. The Council of Agriculture estimated at least 1.08 billion Taiwan dollars (30 million US dollars) in agricultural losses so far.

Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau said although the typhoon already left the island for China, torrential rains would continue for the next few days.

The mainland Chinese provinces of Zhejiang and Fujian were already experiencing strong winds and rain, according to local reports.

Zhejiang registered a maximum wind speed of nearly 180 kilometres per hour in the coastal Taizhou City area on Sunday morning, and coastal authorities have warned of waves of up to 7 metres, Xinhua said.

Shanghai, just north of Zhejiang, is also on high alert and municipal flood control authorities have reportedly released stored water from inland rivers in preparation for heavy rains.

Morakot was expected to make landfall in China early Sunday evening.(dpa)