28 dead, 15 missing after typhoon lashes eastern China

A waterlogged street is seen in Fuzhou, capital of southeast China’s Fujian Province

The strongest typhoon to hit China this year has left 28 people dead and 15 others missing in the east of the country.
Typhoon Meranti made landfall last week in Fujian province after winds and rains associated with it pounded Taiwan, leaving one person dead and more than 50 injured.
Authorities in Fujian said Saturday that the typhoon had left 18 people dead and 11 missing, damaged more than 18,300 houses and caused direct economic losses of more than 16.9 billion yuan (USD2.5 billion).
Authorities in neighboring Zhejiang province say that 10 people died and four remained unaccounted for following landslides and flash floods in rural areas.
Taiwan saw wind and rain from a second typhoon, Malakas, that caused no apparent deaths. That typhoon was also forecast to bring more storms and rains to Zhejiang and Fujian.
Xinhua reported yesterday that Typhoon Malakas and astronomical tides have pushed the water level of Shanghai’s Huangpu River above the warning line. Malakas, the 16th typhoon in 2016, entered the southern part of the East China Sea on Saturday afternoon, China’s National Marine Environmental Forecasting Center said. According to statistics by Shanghai Flood Risk Information Center, water levels at the sections of Wusongkou, Suzhouhe and Mishidu all exceeded the warning line yesterday morning.
Rising water levels forced local authorities to launch emergency response measures and shut all tidal gates yesterday morning. The local flood control headquarters has urged all related departments to stay alert. MDT/Agencies