One million flee as deadly storm slams into China

BEIJING, China (CNN) -- A deadly typhoon that slammed into China's coastal provinces and Taiwan over the weekend has displaced nearly one million people and left dozens missing, state-run media reported Monday.

High winds and torrential rain from Typhoon Morakot hit coastal provinces Fujian and Zhejian hardest, and caused the worst flooding in decades in Taiwan -- where flood waters as high as seven feet were reported, China Daily said.

The typhoon swept across the Philippines and Taiwan's Hualien region before crashing into eastern China, claiming nearly two dozens lives along the way, the newspaper reported.

The storm -- measuring about 1,600 kilometers (about 1,000 miles) across -- continued to pummel coastal China on Monday, but forecasters said it is unlikely that Morakot would reach Shanghai, the country's largest city, which sits farther north along the coast.

Government officials expect the typhoon to cause more than 8.5 million yuan ($1.2 billion) in damages, the newspaper said.

The storm made landfall in the coastal area of Beibi town, Xiapu county, in Fujian province, about 4:20 p.m. Sunday (4:20 a.m. Sunday ET), according to China's state-run Xinhua news agency.

Morakot's winds were clocked at 118 kilometers per hour (73 mph) in its eye, according to the province's meteorological bureau, as cited by Xinhua.

Video from Taiwan showed a six-story hotel crashing into the floodwaters coursing below. The well-known hot springs resort had evacuated before the collapse.

At least 12 people were killed, 32 wounded and 56 unaccounted for, according to the Taiwanese government.

Government officials said Monday that 1.5 million homes were without electricity, and 440,000 were without water.

In China, five houses were destroyed as the front of the typhoon brought flooding rains to Wenzhou city in neighboring Zhejiang province just after 8 a.m. Sunday, Xinhua said. Three adults and a 4-year-old boy were buried in debris about 8 a.m. Rescuers could not save the child, the city's flood-control headquarters told the news agency.

A "red alert" -- the highest degree in danger levels -- was issued in Zhejiang, where more than 35,000 vessels were called back from sea, China Daily reported, citing provincial flood control officials.

More than 300 homes collapsed, and more than 16,000 hectares (39,500 acres) were flooded, Xinhua said. The city's airport was closed and 56 roads were rendered impassable.