World

Typhoon Morakot Reaches South-East China, Prompts Evacuations

by Yuliya Talmazan | August 9, 2009 at 04:07 pm

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Typhoon Morakot reached south-east China on Sunday, prompting mass evacuations. One million people were ordered to evacuate just hours before the typhoon made a landfall in the province of Fujian. The preliminary evacuations in China were enforced after the typhoon ravaged parts of Taiwan and the Philippines earlier this week. Damages, injuries and one death have already been reported in China Sunday. Hectares of farmland have been flooded. More updates to follow at NowPublic.

The hurricane destroyed hundreds of homes and flooded thousands of hectares of farmland, and was responsible for the death of a four-year-old boy who was in a building that collapsed, officials said.

Morakot made landfall in Xiapu, a county in Fujian, carrying heavy rain and winds of up 119 km/h.

Typhoon Morakot struck after triggering the worst flooding in Taiwan 50 years, leaving dozens missing and feared dead and toppling a six-story hotel. It earlier lashed the Philippines, killing at least 21 people