Typhoon Lekima death toll hits 49 in China
Beijing: The death toll from Typhoon Lekima rose to 49 on Tuesday and 21 were still missing after the monster storm wreaked havoc on China's eastern coast, causing huge damage with strong gales and torrential rain.
Lekima hit the three Chinese provinces of Zhejiang, Shandong and Anhui over the weekend and forced more than a million residents to flee.
China's official news agency Xinhua said late Monday that at least 49 people are dead with dozens still missing.
Footage on state broadcaster CCTV showed flooded fields and streets, submerged vehicles, scattered debris and trees blown over as strong winds and rain pounded cities along the seaboard.
Lekima made landfall in Zhejiang province on Saturday, which bore the brunt of the damage after the storm hit with winds of nearly 190 kilometres per hour (120 miles per hour) and pounded the coast with waves several metres in height.
Xinhua said the rainfall recorded this weekend in Shandong province was the largest since records began in 1952.
The natural disaster has inflicted economic losses of at least 26 billion yuan (USD 3.7 billion), authorities said.
Rescue workers were shown on CCTV using boats and rope pulleys to carry out stranded residents over the weekend.
Thousands of flights were cancelled and train routes disrupted due to the typhoon, the state broadcaster reported, as Beijing, Shanghai and other major cities grounded planes.
Hundreds of tourist sites along the coast, including Shanghai Disneyland, were closed ahead of the storm.
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Stone-pelting allegations trigger tension in K'taka town; youths injured, security tightened
Chikkamagaluru (Karnataka) (PTI): Tension gripped the Vijayapura area of Chikkamagaluru late Monday night following allegations of stone-pelting, triggering protests by members of two communities and heavy police deployment.
Allegations surfaced that some youths from a community had pelted stones at houses over the past week and harassed girls for the last three days, leading to outrage among local residents, police said.
According to police sources, two youths who were found moving in a suspicious manner were caught by activists of an organisation, beaten up and later handed over to the police. Soon after, hundreds of youths from both communities gathered in front of the Basavanahalli Police Station and the government hospital, creating a tense atmosphere.
While one group claimed they were not involved in stone-pelting, another group demanded strict action against those responsible for the attacks on houses and alleged harassment.
Police, who were alerted in advance, rushed to the spot and dispersed the crowd.
Authorities said they struggled for some time before bringing the situation under control. Tight security was in place across the city.
Meanwhile, the two injured youths are undergoing treatment at the government hospital.
