Typhoon Lekima makes landfall in eastern China
Back to listThirty-two people have died and 16 more are missing after Typhoon Lekima made landfall in east China's Zhejiang Province, according to China's state-run Xinhua news agency.
Most of the victims were killed when torrential downpours caused a landslide in Yongjia County, which in turn blocked a river, before victims were swept away.
Xinhua reported that close to 5 million people living in the Zhejiang province were hit by the floods. Over 1 million were evacuated, according to provincial flood control headquarters.
The typhoon, the ninth to hit China this year, made landfall at 1:45 a.m. Saturday (1:45 p.m. ET Friday) in Zhejiang, according to Xinhua.
The agency said the typhoon damaged more than 173,000 hectares of crops and wrecked 34,000 houses.
"The direct economic loss amounts to $2.1 billion," Xinhua added.