Two killed as super typhoon hits China

TYPHOON Saomai, the most powerful storm to hit China in five decades, raged ashore yesterday and churned across the crowded south-east, killing at least two people, wrecking houses and capsizing ships after 1.5 million residents were evacuated.

Damage was expected to be widespread in areas that were still recovering from Tropical Storm Bilis, which claimed more than 600 lives last month.

Saomai, with winds of up to 135mph, hit land in the coastal town of Mazhan in Zhejiang province, the official Xinhua News Agency said.