3 missing as typhoon-triggered flood hits east China

FUZHOU, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- A search for three people is underway after a fire engine was swept away by a typhoon-triggered flood in Fuzhou City, east China's Fujian Province, in the early hours of Tuesday.

At around 4:15 a.m., a fire engine carrying nine people was swept away in Chili Village, Yongtai County, by floodwaters during a rescue operation, according to the National Fire and Rescue Administration. As of 8 a.m., six people had been rescued.

Typhoon Haikui, the 11th typhoon of this year, landed in the coastal area of Dongshan County of Fujian at around 5:20 a.m., bringing gales of up to 20 meters per second near its center, the Fujian meteorological observatory said.

Fuzhou has been hit by heavy rainfall due to Haikui. From 6 a.m. Monday to 6 a.m. Tuesday, the 24-hour rainfall in areas including Yongtai exceeded 300 mm.