Rescue efforts underway after Typhoon Lekima leaves 28 dead

By Sunday noon, the flood had gradually retreated, with water level dropping by 30-50 cm from its peak, reported the Zhejiang Daily.

Among the dead, 22 were killed in Yongjia county after a lake barrier burst due to typhoon. Ten people in the village were missing after the incident.

Three were killed and four missing in Lin'an, while three died and three were missing in Leqing, and three were unaccounted for in Linhai.

Typhoon Lekima brought heavy rainstorms in Yongjia county and caused a landslide that blocked the rivers, raising the water level to a maximum of 10 meters within 10 minutes and trapping 120 villagers.

More than 420 armed police and firefighters were dispatched to the scene to help with the rescue work.

Communication service has been restored, and water and electricity supply and road repair are underway.

So far, the deadly typhoon has damaged 34,000 houses in rural Zhejiang, with direct economic losses reaching 14.57 billion yuan, according to the provincial flood-control authority on Sunday.