Beijing  - Typhoon Morakot weakened to become a tropical storm on Monday, after wreaking havoc on property and crops in south-east China, local media reported.

In Xiapu, Fujian province, where the typhoon made landfall late Sunday, at least 136,000 people suffered property losses, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported. The storm swept ashore with wind speeds of up to 118 kilometres per hour, it said.

Direct losses to the region's agriculture and fisheries were estimated at 200 million yuan (29 million dollars), Zhang Changjian, director of the area's flood control and drought relief headquarters, was quoted as saying.

On Monday afternoon, rescuers were trying to reach eight sailors stranded after gale-force winds blew their cargo vessel onto a reef near Fujian, according to the Shanghai Daily.

The typhoon claimed the life of a 4-year-old boy who was buried beneath the debris of a flood-damaged house Sunday.

About 1 million people, including 505,000 in Fujian province, were moved to safer ground before the typhoon hit.

Morakot arrived in China after unleashing the worst flooding in Taiwan in 50 years, with at least seven people reported dead, 46 missing and 32 injured, Taiwan's disaster prevention taskforce said.

It was the strongest of the eight typhoons to hit China this year. According to the National Meteorological Centre, heavy rains continued to fall in the south-east region, including Shanghai. (dpa)