Typhoon Khanun killed at least 14 people when it plowed into China's east coast, leveling thousands of homes and forcing the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people, state media said Monday. The storm tore Sunday afternoon into coastal Taizhou, a city in Zhejiang province about 250 kilometers (155 miles) south of the commercial hub of Shanghai, unleashing torrential rains and high winds. Fourteen people were killed and some 7,468 houses were destroyed by the strong winds and rain, the official Xinhua News Agency reported, without giving details. Eight people were missing, it said. Total economic losses caused by the typhoon were estimated at 6.89 billion yuan (US$849 million; ¤683 million), Xinhua said, citing provincial-level flood control officials. Along the Zhejiang coast, 814,267 people were evacuated and more than 35,000 ships were returned to ports, Xinhua said.
