A military helicopter delivers boxes of biscuits, bottled water and instant noodles to Magui town in Guangdong Province, which was hit by Typhoon Fanapi this week. Photo: Xinhua
Floods, landslides and heavy downpours brought by typhoon Fanapi claimed 70 lives in South China's Guangdong Province, while another 65 were still missing, local authorities said Thursday.
Meanwhile, more than 1.2 million people were affected and 99,500 people in low-lying areas were evacuated, the Xinhua News Agency reported Friday.
Rainstorms and geological disasters made 3,765 houses collapse and damaged 42,190 hectares of cropland, local authorities said.
Direct economic losses were estimated at more than 2.4 billion yuan ($358 million), the report said.
Tons of relief supplies, such as tents, clothes, quilts, bottled water and rice, have been dispatched to the disaster-hit areas, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
Authorities have raised the emergency rescue level. The local transport, lands and resources bureau, and finance departments have been mobilized to handle the rescue efforts, Xinhua reported.
Power and telecommunication services were disrupted by the typhoon. In Xinyi, some 22 hydroelectric stations and 87 telecommunication facilities were damaged. The operation of 66 hydroelectric stations in Gaozhou was suspended because of the typhoon.
A power station in Magui township was also forced to suspend operation because of mud, causing significant economic losses, according to 517aq.com.
The report, quoting rescue workers from Xinyi, said some 102 mine corporations were forced to suspend operation.
Helicopters were used Thursday to airdrop relief materials to victims, Xinhua re-ported.
Typhoon Fanapi, the 11th typhoon that hit China this year, landed in Fujian Province at 7 am Monday, but caused problems mainly in Guangdong.
No casualties were reported in Fujian.
