Nearly 500,000 people were forced to evacuate as Typhoon Nida batters South China early Tuesday morning, the country's Ministry of Civil Affairs (MCA) said Wednesday.

Typhoon Nida, which made landfall in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, Tuesday morning, unleashed its fury in five provinces - Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hunan and Yunnan - forcing the evacuation of 495,000 people, the MCA said.

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Initial data from the MCA showed that Typhoon Nida has already destroyed over 300 homes and partially damaged 2,400 others.

The typhoon also destroyed 19,600 hectares of crops, including 2,700 hectares that were totally destroyed. Economic loss was initially pegged at Rmb510 million (USD76.9 million).

Casualties, however, were minimized because of the early emergency measures put in place by the Chinese government even before the arrival of Typhoon Nida.

As early as Monday, the China National Commission for Disaster Reducation has already asked people in the areas forecast to be affected to be cautious and stock up on three days of essentials.

The MCA also revealed that authorities in the five provinces mentioned have been told to monitor the typhoon as it was approaching and the release early-warning information.

As precautionary measures, all work, production, and classes were suspended and people have been advised to stay indoors.

"All passenger ships, tourist boats, and ferries at Guangzhou have been suspended. Most flights to and from Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport were also canceled on Tuesday morning and gradually resumed after 4 p.m.," the MCA said on its website.

As of Wednesday afternoon, typhoon Nida was already classified as a weakening cyclone, although it left a path of misery in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, which was hit by an earthquake last Sunday.

A 5.4-magnitude earthquake damaged houses in Cangwu County Sunday afternoon, triggering the relocation of more than 3,000 villagers even before Nida made landfall in China.

While typhoon Nida is no longer expected to cause damage, Cangwu County remained on high alert because last Sunday's earthquake caused cracks in buildings and damaged roads.

TagsTyphoon Nida, China Typhoon, Typhoon Nida China