UN stands ready to support China's rescue after Typhoon Lekima

 The United Nations said in a statement that it stands ready to support China's search-and-rescue efforts after the Typhoon Lekima.

"The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that, on 10 August, Tropical Cyclone Lekima made landfall in the Chinese city of Wenling in Zhejiang Province and made a second landfall the following day on the coast of Qingdao in Shandong Province in the country's east," according to the statement released on Tuesday, Xinhua reported.

Fatalities and damage were reported in eight provinces and in the city of Shanghai, with Zhejiang and Shandong being the most affected provinces, it added.

"The Government of China mobilized search-and-rescue efforts and continues to prepare for potential post-typhoon emergencies such as flash floods and landslide," said the UN, adding that it "stands ready to support should there be such a request."

According to China's Ministry of Emergency Management, the typhoon, the ninth and strongest of the year, has left 48 dead and 21 missing in Zhejiang, Shandong and Anhui. Zhejiang was the worst hit as the typhoon made the first landing there, leaving 39 dead and nine missing. IANS