Typhoon Saomai kills over 100 in China, 190 missing

Residents manouever through the rubble trying to salvage what they can from their destroyed homes. The strongest typhoon to hit China in 50 years has killed more than 100 people, forced over 1.6 million residents from their homes and destroyed tens of thousands of buildings.(AFP/Frederic.J. Brown)

BEIJING (AFP) - The strongest typhoon to hit China in 50 years has killed more than 100 people, forced over 1.6 million residents from their homes and destroyed tens of thousands of buildings.

Typhoon Saomai, which struck eastern China on Thursday afternoon, caused the deaths of at least 104 people, with 190 others missing, the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters said on its website Friday.

The deaths occurred in the eastern province of Zhejiang and Fujian province directly to the south, it said, without giving more specific details about where the people had died or gone missing.