At least 7 dead as Typhoon Kalmaegi causes havoc in China

A man rides on flooded road in typhoon-hit Haikou, capital of south China's Hainan Province, Sept. 16, 2014. Seawater flew backward into the city as typhoon Kalmaegi landed in the island province on Tuesday morning. [Photo/Xinhua]

NANNING/HAIKOU -- Typhoon Kalmaegi has left at least seven people dead and one missing and caused huge economic losses since it came ashore in south China on Tuesday.

Four people were killed by falling trees, one died when a building collapsed and one was drowned, in Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, said the regional civil affairs department on Wednesday.

In Hainan Province, one died and another is missing after the storm brought strong winds and rainstorms to the island, said Chen Wu, deputy head of the provincial flood control headquarters on Wednesday.

Kalmaegi has affected more than 2.8 million people and caused 5.78 billion yuan ($940 million) in direct economic losses in agriculture, fisheries, road and water facilities in Hainan, said the official.

In Chengmai County of Hainan, 835 of 1,394 fishing boats which returned to harbor for shelter sank due to the typhoon.

"This time, we lost all our basic family property," said Huang Yongkuan, a fisherman in Chengmai. His fishing vessel was worth 100,000 yuan.

The typhoon, the 15th typhoon to hit China this year, made landfall in Hainan at a speed of 40 meters per second at 9:40 a.m Tuesday and then Guangdong province.

More than 1,000 houses collapsed and millions of people were affected and in Guangdong, Hainan and Guangxi. Direct economic losses in Guangdong were 1 billion yuan, said the provincial civil affairs department.

 

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