28 people dead, 5m more affected after Typhoon Lekima strikes
A deadly typhoon has killed at least 28 people in East China's Zhejiang province as of 6:30 am on Sunday, with another 20 missing, local authorities said on Sunday morning.
Most of the deaths occurred in Yongjia county, administered by Wenzhou city, where torrential downpours caused a landslide that blocked rivers. The barrier lake bursted and flooded people away. Twenty-two died and 10 went missing there.
Three were killed in Lin'an, with four missing, while three died in Leqing, with three missing, and three went unaccounted for in Linhai.
Nearly 1.08 million people have been evacuated to safe places, and close to 5 million people in Zhejiang were affected, said the provincial flood control headquarters.
Lekima, the ninth typhoon of this year, landed around 1:45 am Saturday in Zhejiang, bringing heavy rainstorms and triggering flash floods.
In Zhejiang, the typhoon damaged more than 173,000 hectares of crops and 34,000 houses. Direct economic loss amounts to 14.57 billion yuan (about $2.1 billion), the headquarters said. Rescue operation is underway.
Lekima is moving northwards and will churn up the east coast of Shandong Province on Sunday.
It is expected to make a second landing along the coastline in Shandong late Sunday, bringing strong wind and heavy downpours, the National Meteorological Center warned on Sunday.
Shandong air traffic management bureau said the typhoon will greatly affect traffic in airports of the area. A total of 47 flights have been adjusted.
Shanghai Disney closed
In Shanghai, the local meteorological observatory issued an orange alert on Typhoon Lekima Saturday afternoon, with heavy downpours expected in its urban area within the next six hours.
The Shanghai Disney Resort, including Shanghai Disneyland, was closed on Saturday for safety reasons.
It is the first time that Shanghai Disneyland has closed down due to inclement weather conditions since its opening in June 2016.
People who had tickets for Shanghai Disneyland for Saturday can visit the park on any other day within the next six months (by February 10, 2020), according to the resort.