Lekima batters coastal regions as death toll rises

Lekima, the ninth and strongest typhoon to date in China this year, had left at least 48 people dead as of 5 pm on Monday, wreaking havoc with torrential rains, floods and strong winds in East China. Millions were displaced.

Typhoon Lekima made initial landfall at around 1:45 am Saturday in Wenling, Zhejiang province, and then made a second landfall in Qingdao, Shandong province, at 8:50 pm on Sunday.

The typhoon had weakened and was forecast to linger in coastal parts of the Shandong Peninsula on Tuesday before moving northeast toward Liaoning and Jilin provinces and then likely die down on Wednesday, according to the China Meteorological Administration.