Typhoon kills at least 18 in eastern China

ANKARA

At least 18 people were killed and 14 more remain missing due to a landfall caused by Typhoon Lekima in eastern China, local media reported on Saturday.

The deadly Lekima -- the ninth typhoon of the year hit Zhejiang province in China's eastern coast and caused a landslide early in the morning, China Global Television Network (CGTN) said, citing local authorities.

People were killed and went missing when a landslide swept through a village in Yongjia County of Zhejiang, the CGTN cited a local official as saying in a news conference.

"Torrential rain caused a landslide on a mountain that blocked a river below, trapping around 120 people in the village," the official was quoted.

It added that the villagers didn't have much time to evacuate as the water level rose very quick, "reaching up to 10 meters within 10 minutes".

Over one million people in eastern China were evacuated before the landfall, the reports said, adding that some 253,000 people have been relocated from Shanghai city to safe places as of Saturday morning.

On Friday morning, China's National Meteorological Center issued a top-level red alert for Lekima with a maximum wind force reaching 209 km/h.

Since Friday, more than 1,000 flights, train and ferry services have been canceled in major parts of east China.

The typhoon accompanied with torrential rain and heavy winds downed over 3,000 trees and knocked out 100 power lines, among which 80 have been restored so far, the CGTN said.