People take a rubber dinghy while wading through a waterlogged street in Wenling, east China's Zhejiang Province, Aug. 10, 2019. At around 1:45 a.m., the center of Typhoon Lekima, the ninth typhoon of the year, made landfall in the city of Wenling in Zhejiang, with a maximum wind force of 187 km/h. More than one million people had been relocated before Typhoon Lekima made landfall in Wenling City. The super typhoon weakened to a typhoon at 5 a.m. at a maximum wind force of 144 km/h. (Xinhua/Han Chuanhao)
HANGZHOU, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) -- At least 18 people were dead and more than 4 million others were adversely affected by Typhoon Lekima after it made landfall at about 1:45 a.m. Saturday in Wenling City, eastern China's Zhejiang Province.
With a maximum wind force of 187 km/h, Typhoon Lekima, the ninth of the year, made landfall at about 1:45 a.m. Saturday in Wenling City, Zhejiang. Yongjia County was the worst hit.
Typhoon Lekima brought heavy rainstorms in Yongjia County and caused a landslide that blocked the rivers, raising the water level to a maximum of 10 m within 10 minutes and trapping 120 villagers.
At least 18 people were found dead and 14 others missing as of 3:30 p.m. Saturday due to a barrier lake burst caused by Typhoon Lekima, according to local authorities.
Because of Lekima, Zhejiang also shut down 204 ferries, canceled 288 flights, suspended sections of its railway lines and closed 658 scenic spots. Damaged fiber optic cables caused network failure affecting nearly 9.97 million cellphone users.
As of 3 p.m. Saturday, the super typhoon left 4.02 million people impacted in Zhejiang, and 867,000 more people were relocated. And 103,000 hectares of crops damaged and over 14,000 houses destroyed.
The typhoon has caused direct economic loss totaling 7.44 billion yuan (about 108 billion U.S. dollars), said the sources.
Local authorities in Zhejiang have sent over 15,000 technical workers and organized rescue teams of nearly 1,000 members, with 150 fire engines and 153 boats on call.
Elsewhere in Shanghai, 253,000 people were relocated early Saturday, with parts of the city's rail transit services including the maglev train temporarily suspended. The typhoon blew down nearly 3,000 trees and destroyed 100 power lines, among which 80 have been restored so far.
Shanghai has been affected by heavy rainstorm since Friday afternoon, according to the municipal flood control department.
Lekima is expected to move at about 15 km per hour northward and westward with abatement of wind. It is expected to reach Jiangsu Province Saturday night and will bring heavy rain to the provinces of Anhui, Fujian, Jiangsu, in addition to Zhejiang and Shanghai.
