China evacuates 900,000 from eastern coast as it braces for typhoon

BEIJING — More than 900,000 people were evacuated along China's southeast coast as a typhoon roared toward the mainland Saturday after killing at least one person on Taiwan, state media said.

Airline flights and ferry services were canceled along a stretch of coastline from Zhejiang province to Guangdong province in the southeast, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

Typhoon Sepat was expected to hit land late Saturday or early Sunday along the Fujian coast with sustained winds of 90 mph, Xinhua said, citing the provincial weather bureau. It said the bureau had issued its highest-level storm alert.

As the storm approached, torrential rains were reported in the coastal cities of Wenzhou, Pingyang and Taishun, Xinhua said. Reservoirs discharged millions of gallons of water to make room for more rain.

The typhoon, named after a Malaysian fish, struck Taiwan earlier Saturday near the eastern city of Hualien. At least one person was killed when a car overturned and fell into a steep valley.

The storm knocked out power to tens of thousands, washed out roads and damaged homes as it cut a swath across the island. Thousands were forced to evacuate in the mountainous areas of the north and coastal communities.

All domestic air and train service was halted and some international flights — including service to Hong Kong and Japan — were canceled.