The main force of the typhoon, upgraded from a tropical storm on Wednesday after killing six people in the Philippines, made landfall near Yangjiang city in Guangdong province, China Central Television said.

Gale force winds and torrential rains were expected to pound the area, 190 kilometers (118 miles) west of Hong Kong, throughout the night bringing misery to a region already hit by five typhoons so far this season, it said.

In Hong Kong, winds from the storm uprooted trees and scaffolding while 14 cargo containers were tipped over at the city's massive shipping terminal.

By early evening, 135 flights out of Hong Kong had been delayed and 104 flights cancelled, the Hong Kong Airport Authority said.

It warned that another 300 flights could be affected.

The Hong Kong Observatory said winds up to 60 kilometres (37 miles) an hour had hit Hong Kong, but the full force of the storm was destined for neighboring Guangdong.

In nearby Macau authorities posted the number eight typhoon signal, alerting residents to stay at home as high winds and heavy showers battered the former Portugese colony.

On the mainland, the Chinese meteorological administration said up to 18 centimeters (7.2 inches) of rain was expected to fall over the next few days.

About 100 kilometers of southern coastline between Yangjiang and Baixi cities would be pummelled by the full force of the typhoon, the administration said.

More than 406,000 people have been moved to safety in the provinces of Hainan and Guangdong and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

The State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters said 62,023 vessels from Guangdong, Hainan and Guangxi had returned to harbor before the storm hit.

A rescue effort was under way involving a barge caught in high seas off Yangjiang in Guangdong province, Xinhua said. Fifty-six out of the 68 sailors had been rescued but 12 remained on board the vessel, the report said.

Guangdong authorities warned the province to be prepared for widespread flooding, high waves, landslides and the collapse of houses, Xinhua reported.

Rail, flights and ferry services were suspended in many areas, it said.

Heavy rain had already led to the deaths of eight people in Guangdong on Monday when a mudslide buried a house in Dapu county, the news agency reported earlier in the week.

The approach of Prapiroon marked the sixth typhoon of the season for southern China. The first of the season, Typhoon Chanchu, hit on May 18, more than a month earlier than usual.

The worst was Bilis, which struck on July 14 and hovered over southern China for 10 days, killing at least 612 people, according to Xinhua.

More than 1,400 people have been killed in China due to typhoons this season, according to the Red Cross, which on Wednesday appealed for 3.8 million euros (five million dollars) to help survivors.

The appeal aims to help 240,000 "highly vulnerable people" in the provinces of Hunan, Jiangxi, Guangdong, Guangxi and Fujian, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said in a statement.

The money will be used to provide food, tents and blankets for 60,000 families, as well as helping to rebuild the homes of 1,200 families whose houses were destroyed in Hunan, Jiangxi and Guangxi.

While not as destructive, storms have also caused damage in China's north and northwest.

Floods and landslides since late June have killed 24 people in the far northwestern province of Gansu, Xinhua said, publishing the figures for the first time.

Severe storms led to the deaths of another nine people in neighboring Inner Mongolia region on July 27 and 28, according to Xinhua.

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