"Kalmaegi" pounds eastern China

Tropical storm Kalmaegi has slammed into eastern China with strong winds and heavy rain.

File photo shows a giant wave hitting the shores of Ilan county in eastern Taiwan. Thousands of workers have  continued search and rescue operations after Tropical Storm Kalmaegi wreaked havoc across the island,officials have said.(AFP/File)

In Fujian province alone, the storm forced over 180,000 fishermen and other off-shore workers to be evacuated and more than 34,000 vessels had to return to harbor.

Roads in the province, including the Shenhai Expressway, were also closed for hours on Friday.

In neighboring Zhejiang province, over 230,000 people were relocated and more than 7,000 boats were called back into the severely-hit port city of Taizhou.

As the storm moved north, torrential rain also drenched Shandong province, affecting over 40 counties.

Earlier, Kalmaegi hit Taiwan, with 16 people killed and 11 others missing. The typhoon was then downgraded to a tropical storm as it made landfall in Fujian province on Friday.