Powerful storm hits eastern China

Typhoon Wipha has hit China's densely populated eastern coast but will probably miss the country's financial hub, Shanghai, officials say.

Shanghai's flood prevention bureau said Wipha would probably pass 100km (60 miles) to the south-west of the city on Wednesday evening local time.

It has been downgraded to a tropical storm but could still cause major damage in the area near Shanghai.

One man died after being electrocuted as a result of the storm.

More than two million people were evacuated from Shanghai and the nearby provinces of Fujian and Zhejiang before the storm landed.

Extensive flooding

The authorities have warned Wipha could still bring extensive flooding, high winds and heavy rains to China's biggest city and surrounding areas.

The typhoon - with winds of up to 45 metres (150ft) per second - made landfall at 0230 on Wednesday (1830 GMT Tuesday) but was losing force as it travelled north along the coast.

Two FIFA Women's World Cup matches, originally scheduled for Wednesday in Shanghai and Hangzhou, have been postponed to Thursday, the Xinhua news agency reported.

President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao demanded provinces safeguard the lives of residents, in a statement posted on the Chinese government website.

Central Shanghai was brought to a standstill on Tuesday as schools were shut and transport links cancelled, amid warnings the storm could be the strongest to hit the region in a decade.

The province of Zhejiang south of Shanghai bore the initial brunt of Wipha.

State media reported that 40,000 boats and ships were ordered back to port.

Wipha - a woman's name in Thai - grazed northern Taiwan on Tuesday, prompting the closure of schools, offices and financial markets.

One man was reported killed and another seriously hurt when scaffolding collapsed at a building site in the capital, Taipei.

The deadliest storm to hit the coast of China in recent years was Typhoon Winnie in 1997, which killed 236 people.