Typhoon "Saomi" Kills 114 In China, Hundreds More Missing
Komfie Manalo - All Headline News Foreign Correspondent Beijing, China (AHN) - Officials in China said Sunday some 114 people were reported killed and hundreds more were missing as typhoon "Saomi," the strongest storm to hit China in 50 years, left a swath of destruction in the country's southeast coast. Authorities said more people died Sunday when buildings being used as an evacuation shelters collapsed. The state's Xinhua News Agency said hardest hit by the typhoon was the coastal city of Wengshou, when "Saomi," packing winds of up to 170 mph smashed Thursday leaving 81 people killed. It destroyed over 50,000 houses and sunk more than 1,000 fishing boats. It also destroyed power lines which made the city without power. In the town of Fuding, a coastal city in Fujian province, rescuers retrieved eight more bodies Sunday. Some 183 people were still missing. It was reported the affected areas were still trying to recover from the destructions brought by last month's typhoon "Bilis" which killed over 600 people. A spokesman for the Communist Party committee said 43 people died when two four-story residential buildings of reinforced concrete collapsed due to strong winds. The buildings were being used as temporary shelters because authorities believed they could withstand the winds. The China Daily estimates economic losses in Zhejiang and Fujian provinces to have reach $1.4 billion. The China Central Televi |
