China death toll from super typhoon rises to 33 – Xinhua
BEIJING (Reuters) – The death toll from a super typhoon, the strongest to hit southern China in 40 years, has risen to 33, state media said on Monday, after leaving at least 77 dead in the Philippines last week.
Typhoon Rammasun struck the island province of Hainan on Friday and then tore through parts of the mainland, the official Xinhua news agency reported.
Xinhua also said a mudslide on Monday killed 10 residents of a village in southern Yunnan province. Ten people were missing.
Rammasun hit the provinces of Guangxi, Guangdong, Yunnan and Hainan, wiping out trees and power lines. It affected more than eight million people, Xinhua said.
Guangdong province, an export powerhouse known for its factories, suffered the worst economic losses of more than 12.7 billion yuan (1.1 billion pounds), the agency reported.
Typhoons occur regularly at this time of year in the South China Sea, picking up strength from the warm waters and dissipating over land. Another typhoon, known as Matmo, is expected to strike Taiwan and eastern China later this week.
(Reporting By Megha Rajagopalan; Editing by Ron Popeski)
