10 people dead after Typhoon Meranti hits China
At least 10 people have been killed and several others gone missing after a powerful typhoon swept through parts of southeastern China.
In a statement on Friday, China’s Ministry of Civil Affairs said nine people have disappeared as a result of Typhoon Meranti, which struck Fujian Province on Thursday.
The powerful typhoon made landfall in the coastal city of Xiamen in the early hours of the day, packing winds of around 170 kilometers per hour (105 miles per hour) and triggering downpours across the province.
Flash flooding caused by the devastating typhoon also destroyed an ancient 871-year-old bridge in Yongchun County as it also wreaked havoc on the country’s eastern coast.
Typhoon Meranti, described by the Chinese’s official Xinhua news agency as the world’s strongest typhoon this year and the strongest to hit Fujian Province since records began in 1949.
It also forced the relocation of more than 330,000 residents and destroyed hundreds of homes.
Images shared by media outlets showed power lines and destroyed vehicles on streets in Xiamen.
According to Xinhua, at one point more than 3.2 million homes had their electricity cut off, while water supplies for many communities were disrupted across the affected region.
The powerful storm first raked across southern Taiwan, bringing torrential rains and winds of up to 230 mph (370 kilometers per hour).
According to a Taiwan Red Cross spokeswoman, at least one person died and 44 people were injured as the typhoon hit the island.
The spokeswoman confirmed that over 900,000 households had lost power, while another 500,000 had issues with water supply.
Meranti is the strongest typhoon since Super Typhoon Haiyan devastated the Philippines in 2013.
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