Thirteen people were killed and 16 were missing in eastern China yesterday in a landslide triggered by a major typhoon, which also caused hundreds of flight cancellations and the evacuation of more than 1 million people, state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) reported.
Typhoon Lekima made landfall early yesterday in the eastern province of Zhejiang with maximum winds of 187kph, although it had weakened from its earlier designation as a super typhoon, the official Xinhua news agency reported.
The China Meteorological Administration yesterday issued an orange alert, its second highest, after putting out a red alert on Friday, when the storm hit Taiwan, killing at least one person and leaving 3,000 homes without electricity.
Photo: Reuters
The deadly landslide occurred about 130km north of the coastal city of Wenzhou, when a natural dam collapsed, CCTV reported.
The storm was moving northward at 15kph and was gradually weakening, Xinhua reported, citing the weather agency.
High winds and heavy rains battered the financial hub of Shanghai on yesterday afternoon.
About 625 flights at airports in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Chengdu were due to be canceled, CCTV reported, citing the Civil Aviation Administration of China.
Several dozen trains connecting Zhejiang with northern and central China had also been canceled.
More than 250,000 residents in Shanghai and 800,000 in Zhejiang had been evacuated due to the typhoon, and 2.72 million households in Zhejiang had power blackouts as strong wind and rain downed electricity transmission lines, state media reported.
About 200 houses in six cities in Zhejiang had collapsed, and 66,300 hectares of farmland had been destroyed, CCTV said.
The typhoon also forced the closure of Shanghai Disneyland.
The storm was predicted to reach Jiangsu Province by the early hours today and veer over the Yellow Sea before continuing north and making landfall again in Shandong Province, CCTV said.
Coastal businesses in Zhejiang were shut and the Chinese Ministry of Emergency Management warned of potential risk of fire, explosions and toxic gas leaks at chemical parks and oil refineries.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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