Typhoon Lekima death toll rises to 32 in China as storm forces parts of Great Wall to close
- Heavy rain causes landslides and flooding, forcing more than a million people to leave their homes
- Storm moved north on Sunday to hit China’s ‘vegetable basket’ in Shandong province and caused rail services to be cancelled
The death toll from Typhoon Lekima has risen to 32, with 16 more still missing, after the storm caused more than a million people in eastern China to be evacuated from their homes.
At least 18 died in Yongjia county in the southeast of Zhejiang province after a landslide blocked rivers, causing a dramatic and sudden rise in water levels, according to state news agency Xinhua.
The typhoon made landfall in Zhejiang province early on Saturday, bringing heavy rainstorms and triggering flash floods.
Thousands of flights to and from Shanghai were cancelled, and a number of rail services were suspended.
The typhoon had caused flights and rail services to be suspended and it continued to disrupt travel on Sunday as it moved north, causing multiple services between Beijing and Shandong to be cancelled.
The Beijing city authorities also shut down 77 tourist attractions, including Simatai and other sections of the Great Wall, although the most-visited sections nearer the capital remained open.
