Typhoon Lekima hits southeast China, orange alert issued

The National Meteorological Center here on Saturday issued an orange alert as Typhoon Lekima made landfall in east China's Zhejiang Province, bringing torrential rain and heavy winds that knocked out power, downed thousands of trees and forced more than one million people out from their homes.

The Center told Xinhua news agency that Typhoon Lekima, the ninth typhoon of the year, made landfall in the city of Wenling in Zhejiang around 1:45 a.m. (local time) with a maximum wind force of 187 kilometers per hour.

The typhoon is expected to move further north at a speed of about 15 km/h, with gradually weakening force, the center said, adding that it will sweep through Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces before making another landfall in the southern coastal areas of the Shandong Peninsula on late Sunday.

The center also warned against strong winds in places, including Taiwan, Fujian, Zhejiang, Shanghai, and Jiangsu.

People in affected areas were asked to avoid outdoor activities while the local authorities were urged to take precautions against possible flash floods, mudslides and landslides caused by the downpours.

More than one million people had been relocated before the Typhoon made landfall here today.

The Zhejiang province has also shut down hundreds of ferries, cancelled 288 flights and suspended sections of its railway lines. Local authorities have assembled rescue teams of nearly 1,000 members, with 150 fire engines and 153 boats on call.

In addition, more than two lakh people in Shanghai have also been relocated, with part of the city's rail transit services temporarily suspended. The typhoon blew down nearly 3,000 trees and caused faults of 100 power lines, among which 80 have been restored so far.

-ANI