|
Typhoon hits China's coastline; 9 dead
2007-08-18
A typhoon slammed into China's eastern coastline early Sunday, spawning a tornado that toppled more than 150 homes and killed at least nine people, state media reported. Typhoon Sepat made landfall in southern Fujian province, but the storm is believed to have caused the formation of a tornado in Zhejiang province to the north. More than 60 people were injured in Cangnan county, including eight seriously, the official Xinhua News Agency said. More than 900,000 people in Zhejiang, Fujian and Guangdong provinces had been evacuated ahead of the arrival of the storm, which already killed one person in Taiwan. Torrential rains were reported in the coastal cities of Wenzhou, Pingyang and Taishun, Xinhua said. Sepat had been approaching the Chinese coastline with sustained winds of 90 mph, Xinhua said, citing the provincial weather bureau. It said the bureau had issued its highest-level storm alert. Airline flights and ferry services were canceled along a stretch of coastline from Zhejiang province to Guangdong province in the southeast, Xinhua said. The typhoon, named after a Malaysian fish, struck Taiwan Saturday near the eastern city of Hualien. At least one person was killed when a car overturned and fell into a steep valley. The storm knocked out power to tens of thousands, washed out roads and damaged homes as it cut a swath across the island. Thousands were forced to evacuate in the mountainous areas of the north and coastal communities. All domestic air and train service was halted and some international flights -- including service to Hong Kong and Japan -- were canceled.
| 
