Typhoon in China kills at least 45

Flooding and landslides triggered by Typhoon Talim killed at least 45 people on China’s mainland and left 21 missing, the government said in Beijing today.

At least 14 people were killed in the southeastern coastal city of Wenzhou and another 31 in the inland province of Anhui.

Talim roared ashore on Thursday, wrecking houses, damaging crops and roads and knocking out power and phone services.

Before it hit the mainland, the storm killed at least two people on Taiwan and injured 24 others.

The storm knocked down 11,789 houses in Wenzhou in Zhejiang province and damaged homes in the Dabie Mountain area of Anhui.

Talim weakened to a tropical storm late on Thursday and moved inland.

It forced the evacuation of nearly one million people in Zhejiang and neighbouring Fujian province from low-lying coastal areas and mountain villages that are prone to flash floods.

Flooding cut power in the Fujian provincial capital of Fuzhou and forced schools to cancel classes. Road travel was disrupted and some airline flights cancelled.