Haikui causes over 3 billion yuan economic loss in Anhui

East China's Anhui Province has recorded an economic loss of 3.28 billion yuan (515.69 million U.S.dollars) since severe tropical storm Haikui entered the province on Wednesday night, local authorities said Saturday.

Haikui has brought about gales and heavy rains to the province, killing three people and affecting more than 3 million during the last three days, according to the provincial civil administration department.

Nearly 200,000 hectares of crops were damaged, and 4,473 houses collapsed, the department said.

The disaster relief effort is being carried out by governments of all levels in the province.

Haikui is the third typhoon to wallop China's eastern coast in a week after Saola and Damrey hit the region over the last weekend.

The typhoon made landfall in the coastal province of Zhejiang early on Wednesday, and entered Anhui on Wednesday night after downgrading into a severe tropical storm in the afternoon.

Meteorological authorities in Anhui said that Haikui has been weakened into a tropical depression on Saturday.