Meranti death toll rises to 28

BEIJING: The death toll from the strongest typhoon to hit China in nearly 70 years has reached 28, state news said on Sunday, days after the storm crashed into the country’s coastline.

Heavy rains and winds up to 170 kilometres per hour whipped eastern Fujian province late last week, flooding streets and knocking over trees, billboards and power lines.

The official Xinhua news agency described the storm as the world’s strongest typhoon this year and the worst to hit the region since records began in 1949. Fifteen remain missing, Xinhua said, adding that Xiamen city’s transportation and power supply continued to be “spotty”.