Death toll from tropical storm in China rises to 6

A tropical storm in China left six people dead and at least eight more missing, reports said, after it lashed Taiwan with typhoon-grade winds and rain.

It first struck Taiwan on Friday, killing two people and injuring 72 with sustained winds of about 118 miles per hour and wind gusts of 145 miles per hour.

More than 438,000 people had been evacuated after the storm hit the region, Fujian’s the department said. of water Strong winds and heavy rain also damaged power stations leaving several places in the province without electricity.

So far 164 people were reported killed and 31 others missing in different provinces in the last few weeks ahead of the typhoon, it said.

Nepartak made landfall on Saturday afternoon in east China’s Fujian Province, bringing strong winds and heavy rain to the coastal city.

An incomplete estimation showed more than 420,000 people in four cities, including the provincial capital of Fuzhou, have been urgently relocated, Xinhua says.

Meteorologists blame the floods on a particularly intense El Nino weather pattern that has resulted in up to a 50 per cent increase in rainfall in certain areas.

More than 33,000 fishing boats were sheltered in port, while air-passenger services and ships to Taiwan across strait remained suspended. He said heavy equipment is needed for some remote areas and he expected that power supply can be restored to all of them by the following night at the earliest.

More than 100 trains had to be canceled after 250 mm (10 inches) of rain fell in about four hours in the nearby city of Putian, where almost 23,000 people have fanned out to check the overstrained waterworks, it added.