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13 killed, 16 missing when Typhoon Lekima slammed eastern China

Typhoon Lekima China
At least 13 people were killed and 16 missing in landslides after Typhoon Lekima attacked eastern China, national television reported Saturday.

The tragedy took place in the city of Wenzhou, which is in the path of a storm because it made an overnight landing, CCTV said.

"Heavy rain caused landslides in the mountains blocking the river below," he said.

The resulting "dam" creates a lake that is swept downstream when it breaks.

EVACUATION


More than one million people were evacuated from their homes before the storm, which struck eastern China Saturday morning, bringing heavy rain and strong winds that knocked down electricity and uprooted thousands of trees, state media reported.

A monster storm landed early in the morning in Wenling City, which blew winds of 187 kilometers per hour (116 miles per hour), and was expected to stir the east coast to Shanghai, Xinhua news agency said.

More heavy rain is expected for the Shanghai region as well as the eastern provinces of Anhui, Fujian, Jiangsu and Zhejiang, with authorities warning of possible flash floods, landslides and landslides caused by heavy rains.

In Zhejiang province alone, nearly 300 flights were canceled, and ferry and train services were delayed as a precaution.

More than a quarter million people were moved in Shanghai, where the high-speed maglev train connecting the city to one of the airports was suspended.

More than 110,000 people are accommodated in shelters.

DANGER

China issued a red warning when the storm approached on Friday, before lowering the level to orange when the wind died down on Saturday morning.

The storm had swept the northern tip of Taiwan on Friday, where nine people were injured, thousands of homes temporarily lost power and more than 500 flights were canceled.

Last September, Typhoon Mangkhut hit mainland China where authorities evacuated more than two million people, after leaving traces of destruction in Hong Kong and Macau and killing at least 59 people in the northern Philippines.

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