The nation is still counting the dead and picking up the pieces in the aftermath of Typhoon Bilis, which swept through five provinces including Fujian less than two weeks ago.

It caused 612 deaths with 208 people missing, and led to the evacuation of nearly 3 million people, according to figures from the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

At least 29.6 million people in Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong, Jiangxi and Hunan provinces and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region were affected. The total losses amounted to 26.6 billion yuan (US$3.3 billion).

The Asian Development Bank has granted a US$200 million loan to Central China's Hunan Province to deal with flood relief work, Xinhua reported.

The province was the hardest hit by Bilis, and at least 346 people died in flooding over the past two weeks.

The loan will help strengthen flood control measures, especially around Dongting Lake in the northern part of the province, the bank said in a statement.