Typhoon Sepat hits China after mass evacuation

BEIJING (AFP) - Typhoon Sepat hammered into southeastern China early Sunday after officials had relocated nearly a million people to safer areas, state media reported.

Sepat landed in Fujian province at 2:00 am (1800 GMT Saturday) packing winds of 119 kilometers (74 miles) per hour, Xinhua news agency said. The storm had pounded Taiwan on Saturday with torrential rain, powerful winds and mudslides.

The typhoon brought heavy downpours to Fujian's Hui'an county, damaging some buildings, lifting roofs off houses and uprooting both trees and billboards, Xinhua said, citing a local flood control official.

More damage was expected in the county, the official said, as weathermen reported heavy rain in a number of cities in Fujian.