155,000 people evacuated as Typhoon Matmo batters China

A rescuer helps a little boy transfer to safety place in Baota Township of De'an County, east China's Jiangxi Province, July 24, 2014. (Xinhua/Zhou Mi)

About 155,000 people in China's Zhejiang, Fujian and Jiangxi provinces were evacuated as of 9 am Thursday after typhoon Matmo made landfall in Fujian Province Wednesday afternoon.

More than 403,000 people have been affected since Matmo landed in Gaoshan Township in Fuqing City at 3:30 pm on Wednesday with a wind speed of up to 30 meters per second, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said in a statement.

A total of 500 houses have been destroyed and 1,100 hectares of crops damaged in Fujian, where direct economic losses are estimated at 310 million yuan ($50 million), the statement said.

In Zhejiang, 135,000 people were affected and over 100 houses damaged, with direct economic losses reaching 49 million yuan, it said, adding Jiangxi has relocated 1,900 residents.