At least 12 dead in China storms

BEIJING (AFP) - At least 12 people were killed as a tornado ripped through the coast of eastern China while Typhoon Sepat battered the country further south, state media reported on Sunday.

The tornado cut a corridor of destruction 800 meters wide in Zhejiang province, destroying 156 houses Saturday around Wenzhou City. Nine people were killed and eight left in a serious condition, Xinhua news agency said.

In southern Fujian province, two people were confirmed dead and another reported missing after Typhoon Sepat triggered flooding and mudslides.

Chinese meteorologists have issued the highest-level warnings for Sepat, which was moving northwest at 15 to 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) per hour and was expected to hit Jiangxi province later Sunday.

Sepat landed in Fujian overnight packing winds of 119 kilometers per hour, Xinhua said.

The typhoon lost power after making landfall but still left a trail of damage, flooding roads, lifting roofs off houses and uprooting trees and billboards, Xinhua said, citing a local flood control official.