Typhoon Meranti kills 7 in E China

BEIJING -- Typhoon Meranti has left seven people dead and another nine missing in eastern China's Fujian Province, the local government announced Friday.

Meranti, the largest typhoon this year, made landfall in Xiamen at 3:05 am Thursday, with a maximum 15-grade wind force bringing extraordinary rainstorms.

By 7 am Friday, the typhoon had forced 331,000 in Fujian to relocate. The typhoon also destroyed 1,600 houses, damaged 22,200 hectares of crops and inflicted direct economic losses of 1.7 billion yuan ($249 million).

The Ministry of Civil Affairs and the National Commission for Disaster Reduction has dispatched work teams to assess the damage and help with rescue work. Local authorities were also required to carry out immediate emergency aid and relief.

Fujian provincial government has so far allocated 60 million yuan in living relief for affected people.