At least 15 people have died in storms that battered China, in what reporting describes as a scene of devastation. The severe weather has hit more than one part of the country, prompting a large emergency response as authorities work to account for those caught up in the disaster.
The heaviest loss of life was reported in the centre of the country. According to the reporting, a storm in Hubei province, in central China, brought winds of up to 260 kilometres per hour and left 15 people dead and 331 others injured, a toll that underlines the ferocity of the system that swept through the region.
The strength of the winds was felt directly by residents. According to the account, one 30-year-old man was left in intensive care in a very serious condition, while furniture such as a sofa and cabinets was carried off by the wind, giving a sense of the force with which the storm tore through homes.
In the south of the country, the danger came from water rather than wind. According to the reporting, torrential rains brought by the passage of Typhoon Meizak burst a dam, and the surge transformed streets into what were described as rivers of mud across affected areas.
The flooding forced a large-scale displacement of residents. According to the account, the force of the water flooded entire neighbourhoods, left cities partially submerged and forced more than 48,000 people to leave their homes in a hurry as the waters rose around them.
Officials pointed to a combination of weather factors behind the violence of the storms. According to the reporting, the clash between the humidity of the typhoon and a cold front generated the violent weather, and the Chinese army and rescue teams are now working against the clock to locate the missing and remove stranded residents, with the government raising its alert to the maximum level.
The typhoon had already left its mark elsewhere before reaching China. According to the account, Typhoon Meizak had previously struck Vietnam, China's neighbour, on its path through the region, part of a broader spell of dangerous weather affecting several areas.