Post by Tulameen on Jul 16, 2006 19:13:18 GMT -5
At least 115 people have been killed in floods and storms as Typhoon Bilis churns across China's south-east, state media reports.
The Fujian, Hunan and Guangdong provinces have been the most severely affected by the tropical storm, Xinhua news agency said.
In Hunan province, more than 100 people are missing and thousands of homes have been swept away.
Hectares of farmland have also been destroyed and train services disrupted.
Mudslides have also been reported in Zhangzhou, Fujian province.
Flooding is reported to have cut the main Beijing-Guangzhou railway line, stranding 5,000 passengers in Changsha, Hunan province.
Power lines have also been cut.
Tropical storm
In Lechang, also in Hunan, waters as deep as 3m (10ft) forced authorities to move 1,600 inmates from the local prison to higher ground.
Earlier, a Russian vessel sank off the coast during the storm, but the 11-member crew is said to have been rescued.
Forecasters are predicting heavy rain will continue across southern China for several days.
Typhoon Bilis hit China after ravaging the Philippines and Taiwan on Friday. It has since been downgraded to a tropical storm.
It is the latest severe weather to affect China. At least 349 people died last month after storms and torrential rain battered parts of the country.
Seasonal heavy rains and typhoons causes hundreds of deaths in China each year. But meteorologists have predicted this summer will be particularly bad, with warm Pacific currents causing more typhoons than usual.
Story from BBC NEWS:
news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/asia-pacific/5185314.stm
Published: 2006/07/16 15:45:20 GMT
© BBC MMVI
The Fujian, Hunan and Guangdong provinces have been the most severely affected by the tropical storm, Xinhua news agency said.
In Hunan province, more than 100 people are missing and thousands of homes have been swept away.
Hectares of farmland have also been destroyed and train services disrupted.
Mudslides have also been reported in Zhangzhou, Fujian province.
Flooding is reported to have cut the main Beijing-Guangzhou railway line, stranding 5,000 passengers in Changsha, Hunan province.
Power lines have also been cut.
Tropical storm
In Lechang, also in Hunan, waters as deep as 3m (10ft) forced authorities to move 1,600 inmates from the local prison to higher ground.
Earlier, a Russian vessel sank off the coast during the storm, but the 11-member crew is said to have been rescued.
Forecasters are predicting heavy rain will continue across southern China for several days.
Typhoon Bilis hit China after ravaging the Philippines and Taiwan on Friday. It has since been downgraded to a tropical storm.
It is the latest severe weather to affect China. At least 349 people died last month after storms and torrential rain battered parts of the country.
Seasonal heavy rains and typhoons causes hundreds of deaths in China each year. But meteorologists have predicted this summer will be particularly bad, with warm Pacific currents causing more typhoons than usual.
Story from BBC NEWS:
news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/asia-pacific/5185314.stm
Published: 2006/07/16 15:45:20 GMT
© BBC MMVI