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Typhoon Hagupit kills 5 in Guangdong

By Qiu Quanlin (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-09-25 07:52

GUANGZHOU -- Typhoon Hagupit struck Guangdong province Wednesday morning, with five people killed and two missing from the heavy rains that lashed the coastal areas of Chencun county in Maoming city, local authorities said.

Waves batter a waterfront park as Typhoon Hagupit brings heavy rainfall to Beihai, South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, September 24, 2008. [Xinhua]

Hagupit, the strongest typhoon to hit Guangdong and its Pearl River Delta region in 12 years, packed hurricane winds of 48 m per second at its eye.

Related readings:  Typhoon Hagupit wreaks havoc in China's south coast

More than 8.5 million people have been affected. The authorities reported a serious storm tide Wednesday, with waters bursting the banks of many rivers.

Maoming authorities reported an estimated economic loss of more than 3 billion yuan ($440 million) from the typhoon, with at least 6,000 houses and large areas of forestry and farms destroyed.

Two dams in the Shalang township of Maoming were reportedly in dangerous condition and at least five nearby villages were also flooded, with at least 6,000 people evacuated.

The Nanpai village in Panyu district of Guangzhou, which is the site of the Guangzhou 2010 Asian Games Village, was also reportedly flooded, with 46 hectares destroyed.

Hagupit weakened into a tropical storm after it moved northwest to Hepu county of Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region at about 2 pm Wednesday, the Guangdong provincial meteorological bureau said.

Heavy rain will hit most coastal cities in the Pearl River Delta in the coming two days.

Prior to the storm's arrival, as many as 50,884 ships and 184,936 people working out at sea near 14 coastal cities had been called back to safety.

Flight services at the Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport and Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport were also severely affected by the weather on Tuesday night.

The Shenzhen airport reportedly canceled most of its domestic flights scheduled after 7 pm on Tuesday.

In Haikou, capital of Hainan province, as many as 33 flights were reportedly canceled Wednesday morning. All classes in schools were also suspended.