Typhoon Matsa kills 7 in China

Typhoon Matsa, which wrecked havoc in east China during the weekend, has killed 7 persons, displaced over 8 million and caused huge economic losses, the state media reported on Monday.

The ninth typhoon to hit China this year downgraded into a tropical storm after it caused huge damage in the coastal Zhejiang Province for 18 hours.

The storm then struck neighbouring Anhui Province on Saturday night and has moved further north into Jiangsu province, the National Meteorological Centre said.

Zhejiang was the hardest hit, with two persons killed, an equal number reported missing and damages amounting to US Dollars 809 million , the local government said.

Also read: Typhoon Matsa brings heavy rains in Taiwan

Matsa landed on the province's Ganjiang township before dawn on Saturday. It packed winds of upto 160 kph as it moved northwest and dumped torrential rain in most areas of the province, including the provincial capital Hangzhou.

More than 8.4 million people and 400,000 acres of farmland were affected, and 13,108 houses damaged, the China Daily reported.

More than 1.24 million residents in Zhejiang province were evacuated to safety before the arrival of the typhoon, a senior official, Yao Yuewei said.