Beijing: The death toll has risen to 28 in the destruction caused by 'Meranti', the world's strongest typhoon this year in China, even as the country braces for yet another powerful typhoon for which an orange alert has been issued, officials said on Saturday.
Twenty-eight people were killed and 15 others are still missing when 'Meranti' struck eastern Chinese provinces of Fujian and Zhejiang province two days ago, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
'Meranti', the strongest typhoon this year, made landfall in Xiamen City, Fujian on Thursday, with a maximum 17-grade wind force bringing extraordinary rainstorms.
As many as 18 people died and 11 others were missing in the province, Fujian flood control authorities said today.
The typhoon paralysed several cities in the south of the province, including Xiamen, Quanzhou and Zhangzhou.
Direct economic losses in Fujian were over 16.9 billion yuan (about USD 2.6 billion).
Ten people died and four remained unaccounted for in neighbouring Zhejiang after the typhoon brought heavy rainfall. More than 902 houses collapsed and over 1.5 million people were affected, Zhejiang provincial flood control headquarters said.
Meanwhile, forecasting authorities today issued an orange alert for waves and storms, as typhoon 'Malakas' moved to the east coast of China.
China has a four-tier colour-coded warning system for severe weather, with red being the most serious, followed by orange, yellow and blue.
'Malakas', the 16th typhoon in 2016, has entered the southern part of the East China Sea this afternoon, China's National Marine Environmental Forecasting Center said.
The typhoon is expected to whip up waves from seven to 12 meters-high off Taiwan's east coast, southern and central parts of the East China Sea, and the nearby Diaoyu Islands from today to tomorrow.
Waves up to 4.4 meters-high are also expected in the coastal regions of Zhejiang and Fujian provinces, said the Center.
Coastal regions in Fujian and Zhejiang will see storms and rain starting this night, and residents and ships operating in related waters were told to stay clear of those areas, according to the center.
