Two typhoons barrel down on China

Giant waves wash ashore during Typhoon Damrey in Qingdao city, East China's Shandong province, August 3, 2012. [Photo/Xinhua]

Typhoon Damrey made landfall in East China's Jiangsu province on Thursday night and Typhoon Saola hit Fujian province on Friday morning, forcing 600,000 people in coastal areas to move to safety.

The two typhoons have brought hurricane force winds and rain to Jiangsu, Shandong and Zhejiang provinces and are expected to affect 10 provinces in China.

The coastal provinces and municipalities have started typhoon emergency response procedures on Thursday. 50,100 people in Jiangsu, 299,000 in Shandong and 204,000 in Zhejiang have been relocated to safety, according to the local flood control and drought relief headquarters.

Damrey, the tenth typhoon of the year, came ashore near the Chenjiagang Township, Jiangsu province around 9:30 pm, packing winds of 126 km/h near its center, according to China's National Meteorological Center.

Saola, the ninth typhoon, pounded Taiwan on Thursday afternoon, and made a second landfall in Qinyu county in Fuding city of China's Fujian province at 6:50 am on Friday morning, with a strong wind of 90 km/h and moving northwest at a speed of 15km/h, according to the meteorological authorities.

The fierce weather brought by Saola since Wednesday has left five people dead, two missing and 16 more injured in Taiwan, the island's emergency operation center announced Thursday evening.

Li Ting, 6, and his family members, stay at a temporary shelter as a typhoon warning is issued in Cangnan couty, East China's Zhejiang province on August 2, 2012. [Photo/Xinhua]

Soldiers carry an old man as a typhoon warning is issued in Cangnan couty, East China's Zhejiang province on August 2, 2012. [Photo/Xinhua]