Landslide leaves 27 missing in east China

At least 27 people are missing after a landslide, triggered by typhoon rain, in a village in the eastern province of Zhejiang, the provincial government said.

The landslide occurred around 5 p.m. on Wednesday in Sucun Village in Suichang County, following a heavy downpour brought by Typhoon Megi.

Several houses in the village, about 37 kilometers from the county seat, were destroyed and the structures swept away.

Two women, one of whom is pregnant, and two men were pulled out alive from the debris by rescuers. The pregnant woman sustained leg fractures but her injuries are not life threatening, a county publicity official told Xinhua.

It is difficult to estimate the number of missing, officials said.

More than 400 rescuers are on site. Zhejiang Vice Governor Sun Jingmiao is leading the rescue operation.

Across the province, more than 18,000 people had already been relocated following the heavy rain brought by the typhoon.

Record flood level was recorded in the Pingyang county in Zhejiang, with schools and power stations inundated. Power outages were reported in Shuitou township, home to more than 170,000.

Schools across the county remain closed, the local county education bureau said.

Typhoon Megi made landfall in Hui'an County, Quanzhou City, east China's Fujian Province, early on Wednesday, packing winds over 118 km per hour, according to meteorological authorities.

Megi, the 17th typhoon this year, brought downpours to coastal areas. It has killed four people and injured 268 others in Taiwan as it traveled across the island Tuesday.

More than 300 trains have been suspended in and out of Fujian. Torrential rain caused heavy water-clogging in Fuzhou, capital of Fujian. At least one person died in neighboring Quanzhou.