Southern China hit by deadly typhoon
Source: Xinhua/Shanghai Daily |
July 17, 2010, Saturday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
A TYPHOON that left a deadly trail of destruction in the Philippines hit southern China last night as emergency workers prepared for torrential rain and lashing winds, flights and ferries were canceled and tens of thousands of residents were evacuated.
Typhoon Conson hit the city of Sanya on Hainan Island at 7:50pm, after blowing out of the Philippines, where 39 people were dead and the number of missing climbed to 84.
Conson packed winds of up to 126 kilometers per hour, according to the disaster prevention office of Sanya.
It brought heavy rains and strong winds to the tourist resort, uprooting trees, pulling down billboards and light poles and cutting power supply.
A motorcycle rider was killed when he was hit by a falling billboard.
Another man was buried in debris after his house was hit by a giant billboard. He was in a critical condition, rescuers said.
Stranded
The typhoon was expected to remain over the island for about nine hours before entering Beibu Bay this morning.
The city had recalled to port all fishing boats by noon yesterday and almost 40,000 people across the island had been relocated by 4:30pm.
More than 150 passengers were stranded after ferry services were suspended. Twenty-eight flights were also canceled.
The typhoon, the first to hit China this year, triggered high waves and cut some village roads.
Conson also brought downpours and gales to the coastal province of Guangdong in southern China. Rainstorms are expected in parts of Guangdong in two days.
More than 20,000 people in the province were evacuated from areas in the projected path of the typhoon.
The storm should continue its northwest path inland over the weekend, heading toward southwest China and northern Vietnam.
Landslides
Many parts of China have been pounded by storms this summer, though areas expected to be hit by Conson had not been seriously affected so far.
Flooding and subsequent landslides in communities along the Yangtze River and other parts of China have killed 146 people so far this month and left 40 others missing, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said.
Direct economic losses in July reached 29.5 billion yuan (US$4.32 billion).
More than 38.2 million people in 10 southern provinces and Chongqing Municipality had been affected by continuous rainstorms and floods since July 1, the ministry said. About 124,000 homes were destroyed and more than 1.3 million people relocated.
Conson was not expected to hit areas in China already battered by weeks of flooding.
Typhoon Conson hit the city of Sanya on Hainan Island at 7:50pm, after blowing out of the Philippines, where 39 people were dead and the number of missing climbed to 84.
Conson packed winds of up to 126 kilometers per hour, according to the disaster prevention office of Sanya.
It brought heavy rains and strong winds to the tourist resort, uprooting trees, pulling down billboards and light poles and cutting power supply.
A motorcycle rider was killed when he was hit by a falling billboard.
Another man was buried in debris after his house was hit by a giant billboard. He was in a critical condition, rescuers said.
Stranded
The typhoon was expected to remain over the island for about nine hours before entering Beibu Bay this morning.
The city had recalled to port all fishing boats by noon yesterday and almost 40,000 people across the island had been relocated by 4:30pm.
More than 150 passengers were stranded after ferry services were suspended. Twenty-eight flights were also canceled.
The typhoon, the first to hit China this year, triggered high waves and cut some village roads.
Conson also brought downpours and gales to the coastal province of Guangdong in southern China. Rainstorms are expected in parts of Guangdong in two days.
More than 20,000 people in the province were evacuated from areas in the projected path of the typhoon.
The storm should continue its northwest path inland over the weekend, heading toward southwest China and northern Vietnam.
Landslides
Many parts of China have been pounded by storms this summer, though areas expected to be hit by Conson had not been seriously affected so far.
Flooding and subsequent landslides in communities along the Yangtze River and other parts of China have killed 146 people so far this month and left 40 others missing, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said.
Direct economic losses in July reached 29.5 billion yuan (US$4.32 billion).
More than 38.2 million people in 10 southern provinces and Chongqing Municipality had been affected by continuous rainstorms and floods since July 1, the ministry said. About 124,000 homes were destroyed and more than 1.3 million people relocated.
Conson was not expected to hit areas in China already battered by weeks of flooding.
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