Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

World

Typhoon Lekima death toll rises to 44 in eastern China

-

A monster storm that smashed its way up the eastern China coast and forced more than a million residents to flee has killed 44 people, state media said Monday.

Footage on state broadcaster CCTV showed fields and streets flooded by muddy water, submerged vehicles, scattered debris and trees blown over as strong winds and rain from Typhoon Lekima pounded cities along the seaboard.

At least 16 people were still missing as the storm moved further up the coast near Beijing.

Official Xinhua news agency said the toll had risen to 39 in Zhejiang province, where Lekima made landfall on Saturday, packing winds of nearly 190 kilometres per hour (120 miles per hour) and pounding the coast with waves several metres in height.

At least 18 of those were killed in a landslide triggered by torrential downpours in Wenzhou, state media said.

More than a million people were evacuated from their homes ahead of the typhoon, Xinhua reported.

Lekima hit Shandong province later on Sunday, where the local emergency management department reported five dead and seven missing, as well as the relocation of more than 180,000 people and damage to 600 homes.

The natural disaster has inflicted economic losses of more than 24.22 billion yuan (US$3.4 billion) in Zhejiang alone, authorities said.

Rescue workers were shown on CCTV using boats and rope pulleys to carry out stranded residents over the weekend.

More than 3,200 flights have been cancelled due to the typhoon, the state broadcaster reported, as Beijing, Shanghai and other cities grounded planes.

In Shanghai, more than 90 tourist sites including Disneyland were closed ahead of the storm, with most set to re-open Monday or Tuesday.

A monster storm that smashed its way up the eastern China coast and forced more than a million residents to flee has killed 44 people, state media said Monday.

Footage on state broadcaster CCTV showed fields and streets flooded by muddy water, submerged vehicles, scattered debris and trees blown over as strong winds and rain from Typhoon Lekima pounded cities along the seaboard.

At least 16 people were still missing as the storm moved further up the coast near Beijing.

Official Xinhua news agency said the toll had risen to 39 in Zhejiang province, where Lekima made landfall on Saturday, packing winds of nearly 190 kilometres per hour (120 miles per hour) and pounding the coast with waves several metres in height.

At least 18 of those were killed in a landslide triggered by torrential downpours in Wenzhou, state media said.

More than a million people were evacuated from their homes ahead of the typhoon, Xinhua reported.

Lekima hit Shandong province later on Sunday, where the local emergency management department reported five dead and seven missing, as well as the relocation of more than 180,000 people and damage to 600 homes.

The natural disaster has inflicted economic losses of more than 24.22 billion yuan (US$3.4 billion) in Zhejiang alone, authorities said.

Rescue workers were shown on CCTV using boats and rope pulleys to carry out stranded residents over the weekend.

More than 3,200 flights have been cancelled due to the typhoon, the state broadcaster reported, as Beijing, Shanghai and other cities grounded planes.

In Shanghai, more than 90 tourist sites including Disneyland were closed ahead of the storm, with most set to re-open Monday or Tuesday.

AFP
Written By

With 2,400 staff representing 100 different nationalities, AFP covers the world as a leading global news agency. AFP provides fast, comprehensive and verified coverage of the issues affecting our daily lives.

You may also like:

Tech & Science

Quantinuum has made a number of important quantum computing advances over the past several years.

Tech & Science

The United Kingdom (6th) and India (10th) are the only two G20 countries among the high performers in CCPI 2025. What does this mean...

Business

Seeking the optimal work role? No matter the industry, it’s important to tailor your application to the specific role you’re applying for.

Business

Canada’s nonprofits are stepping into AI with RAISE, a new national program helping the sector adopt ethical, mission-aligned tools.