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CHINA / Regional
Death toll rises to 39 from Typhoon Sepat
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2007-08-22 22:35
Thirty-nine people have died and nine others are missing following the
trail of destruction left by Typhoon Sepat in Fujian, Jiangxi, Zhejiang
and Hunan provinces, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said on Wednesday.
The typhoon had flooded 313,900 hectares of crops and damaged 61,000
houses, of which 16,000 collapsed, and forced the four provinces in east
and central China to evacuate 1.76 million people, the ministry said.
Total economic loss in the provinces reached 4.97 billion yuan (US$663
million).
More than 100 counties in eastern and southern parts of Hunan suffered
torrential rain and high winds. By 4 pm, the worst-hit county of Yongxing
had received 196 mm of rain and reported the death of a local farmer from
a landslide.
The typhoon affected 1.53 million people, destroyed 60,000 hectares of
crops and the province evacuated 270,000 people.
Sepat landed in Fujian at 2:00?am Sunday, leaving a trail of chaos in
which landslides had killed 18 people and left 5 missing in Fujian by 3
pm Tuesday.
The ninth typhoon of the year has brought an average 200 mm of rainfall
to most counties in Fujian since last Friday. The worst-hit county of
Jiaocheng received 490 mm.
So far, Sepat has affected 2.22 million people in Fujian while destroyed
7,300 houses and 118,000 hectares of crops, causing an economic loss of
2.2 billion yuan (US$293 million).
Sepat has caused 13 deaths and three missing in Wenzhou, a manufacturing
center in Zhejiang, including 11 deaths from a tornado that smashed 156
houses on Saturday night.
On Sunday, a landslide triggered by the downpours hit a minibus in
Wenzhou, killing one of its 19 passengers. One woman was found dead in
the debris of her house the same day.
Sepat also brought rainstorms in Jiangxi Province over the past two days,
affecting 500,000 people in 164 counties and townships.
The typhoon destroyed 1,847 houses and 136 sections of highways in the
province, causing an economic loss of 324 million yuan (US$43.2 million).
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