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A powerful typhoon left at least 28 people dead in China, after a landslide backed up a river that broke through debris and inundated homes, state media reported on Sunday, report agencies
Another 20 people remained missing, the official Xinhua News Agency said, and more than a million people were evacuated, state broadcaster CCTV has reported.
Typhoon Lekima made landfall early on Saturday in the eastern province of Zhejiang with maximum winds of 116mph (187km/h), although it had weakened from its earlier designation as a super typhoon, the official Xinhua news agency reported.
The deaths occurred in Yongjia county on the outskirts of Wenzhou, a major port city. The river blocked by a landslide rose to a level of 10m (30ft) within 10 minutes, trapping 120 villagers, Xinhua said.
The typhoon damaged more than 173,000 hectares of crops and 34,000 homes in Zhejiang, provincial authorities said in estimating the economic losses at 14.57 billion yuan ($2 billion), the state news agency Xinhua said.
The deadly landslide occurred about 130 km north of the coastal city of Wenzhou, when a natural dam collapsed in an area deluged with 160 mm (6.3 inches) of rain within three hours, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
State media reports showed rescuers wading in waist-high waters to evacuate people from their homes, while the Ministry of Emergency Management said that more than one million people in the financial hub of Shanghai, as well as Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces, have been evacuated.
Some power had been restored to homes by Sunday while a portion of suspended railway lines resumed operations, CCTV said.
Lekima, China’s ninth typhoon of this year, is moving northwards and is expected to make a second landing along the coastline in Shandong, causing further airport disruptions, Xinhua said.
Some expressways between Shanghai and Shandong have been closed, CCTV said.