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 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 losses in the provinces reached 4.97 billion yuan
(about US$663 million).
More than 100 counties in the eastern and southern parts of
Hunan suffered torrential rain and high winds. By 4 p.m., 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 has 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 a.m. Sunday, leaving a trail of
chaos in which landslides killed 18 people and left 5 missing by 3
p.m. 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
destroying 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 persons 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).
(Xinhua News Agency August 23, 2007)