JINAN -- The strongest storm tide to hit the northeast China coast since 1969 has left three people dead, seven missing and affected 640,000 people, government sources said Friday.

More than 60,000 people were evacuated ahead of the storm tide which hit the coast of Shandong Province on Sunday and Monday, said the provincial civil affairs department.

Three people were killed and seven are still missing in the storm tide in Weihai City.

The storm tide, with gusts of up to 100 kilometers per hour, also damaged more than 2,100 vessels and destroyed 600 houses in coastal areas of the province.

More than 35,000 hectares of crops were affected and losses of almost two billion yuan (US$250 million) were reported in the province.

The 4,360 fishermen marooned in the East China Sea by the storm tide have resumed work as conditions allowed, the Ministry of Communications said on its website on Friday.

The fishing crews were stranded in 559 vessels off the coast of Jiangsu Province when a strong storm tide appeared on Sunday. With winds gusting at up to 80 km per hour and waves six to seven meters high, the vessels were unable to return to harbor.

Vessels from the East China Sea Rescue Bureau and the East China fleet of the Navy of the People's Liberation Army, and passing ships, helped protect and guide the stranded fishermen. No casualties were reported.

The China Marine Rescue Center has officially announced end of the rescue operation.