Typhoon leaves at least 8 dead in China, Taiwan

By Mahmut Atanur

BEIJING (AA) – A strong typhoon has left at least eight people dead after causing torrential rains in Taiwan and southeastern China.

Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported Friday that seven people were killed and nine others remained missing after Typhoon Meranti hit Fujian province, while Taiwan’s official Central News Agency said one person died and 44 others sustained injuries on the island.

Meranti swept through the Bashi Channel to the south of Taiwan on Wednesday, before making landfall in the coastal city of Xiamen on the Chinese mainland early Thursday morning.

According to Taiwan’s Central Emergency Operation Center, nearly 1 million households experienced power outages while more than 720,000 were left without water Thursday.

The typhoon later hit Fujian with a maximum 15-grade wind force, resulting in the evacuation of 331,000 people as of Friday morning.

It reportedly destroyed 1,600 houses, damaged 22,200 hectares of crops and caused direct economic losses of 1.7 billion yuan ($249 million) in the province.

In July, a typhoon that was downgraded to a tropical storm before hitting the mainland left at least 83 people dead in Fujian.