Monday, August 20, 2007

China battered by typhoon Sepat

Typhoon Sepat has swept along the southern coast of China, killing at least 15 people and forcing nearly one million to leave their homes for safer areas.

Thirteen of the deaths were caused by a tornado that spun off the typhoon, wrecking houses and injuring more than 60 residents in Zhejiang Province, Xinhua state news agency said on Sunday.

"The bizarre wind smashed all the windows of our four-storey building and tore down my mum's old house in no more than one minute," Zhang Zhongling, a 48-year-old villager, was quoted as saying.

The typhoon hit mainland China packing winds of 119km per hour and unleashing torrential rains.

Typhoon Sepat has brought heavy downpours to southeastern China after officials had relocated people to safer areas.

In southeastern Fujian province, two people were confirmed dead and another reported missing after flooding and mudslides were triggered.
Sepat is heading northwest toward Jiangxi Province and could unleash 400mm of rain in Fujian in the next three days, Xinhua said.

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