China Typhoon Lekima Death Toll Rises to 49 - Reports (Videos)

BEIJING (Sputnik) - The death toll from Typhoon Lekima that recently hit eastern China has increased to 49, while 21 people remain missing, local media reported.

The latest figures were released on Monday evening by the Xinhua News Agency.

The victims were mainly in the Zhejiang province, where a landslide blocked a local river, causing flooding. Some 6.68 million people were reportedly affected by the disaster.

A Chinese driver was nearly struck by lightning on a highway.#TyphoonLekima pic.twitter.com/a92kBIe2lU

— Issac Xu (@Xu_Issac) August 10, 2019

Hundreds of police officers and firefighters are currently engaged in search and rescue efforts, according to local media.

This typhoon is getting spicy #TyphoonLekima pic.twitter.com/XJ4gJYo0Vb

— John V (@JohnnyInfinity) August 9, 2019

Typhoon Lekima, the ninth major storm to rock China this year, reached the coast late on Friday, bringing strong winds, heavy rainfall and massive flooding to the country’s southeastern regions. China’s meteorological service announced a red alert level over the typhoon.

Typhoon arrived #shanghai #TyphoonLekima pic.twitter.com/Y2HuBchvy1

— NoShhNoTsk (@NoShhNoTsk) August 9, 2019

Over 1 million people have reportedly been evacuated from their homes, including about 250,000 from Shanghai, one of the world's largest financial hubs.