Fishermen recover a sunken fishing boat after the landfall of Typhoon Kalmaegi in Chengmai County of south China's Hainan Province, Sept. 17, 2014. In Chengmai County, 835 of 1,394 fishing boats which returned to a harbour here sank due to Typhoon Kalmaegi, which made its landfall Tuesday in Hainan. (Xinhua/Guo Cheng)

Typhoon Kalmaegi has affected 5.97 million people in south China, leaving three dead and one missing, said the state flood control authorities on Wednesday.

In the southern Chinese areas of Hainan, Guangdong and Guangxi, 68 counties and 668,000 hectares of crops have been hit by Kalmaegi after it landed in the island province of Hainan on Tuesday morning, the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters told Xinhua.

The tropical storm has also affected 548 highways and 12 railways and led to the collapse of 1,600 houses, the closure of 28 airports and ports, power failures in Guangxi cities, and floods in two cities of Hainan, according to the headquarters.

Kalmaegi forced flight cancellations and boat evacuations in Hainan.

Along with the typhoon, torrential rain has hit many parts of the three regions, blowing down trees and causing floods in urban areas. Boat services have been suspended across the Qiongzhou Strait.