Four dead as typhoon Mujigae hits China

At least 16 fishermen are reported as missing at sea after 40,000 boats returned to port because of Mujigae, which means “rainbow” in Korean.

The agency reported the government of Guangzhou’s Fanyu District as saying that tornados, induced by the typhoon, hit Nancun and Shiqi on Sunday, killing three people and injuring 134 others.

Seven persons were killed and 223 others injured in China’s southern Guangdong Province as typhoon Mujigae, the 22nd typhoon of the year, left behind a trail of death and devastation caused by heavy wind and rains.

The typhoon is moving westward at a speed of about 20 km/hour and is expected to hit landfall in Vietnam today or Monday, he said, adding that the typhoon will bring more rains and heavy rains in upper North and northeastern region.

Pictures posted to China’s Sina Weibo social media website showed flooded streets, uprooted trees and overturned vehicles. Winds knocked out power grids along the coast, leaving large areas without electricity, water or telecommunications.

The typhoon comes as millions of Chinese take holidays to celebrate the October 1 National Day.

Over 340,000 people were evacuated, and train and flight services suspended as Typhoon Dujuan hit east China’s Fujian province on Tuesday.

The main affected areas are the provinces of Hainan, Guangdong and Guangxi, Reuters said.

Meanwhile, upwards of 500 tourists were sheltering in hotels in Guangdong’s Fangji island after attempts to evacuate them were disrupted by high winds, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

Commander Armand Balilo, coast guard spokesman, said search-and-rescue ships were scouring the sea west of Pangasian, Ilocos and Zambales after two cargo ships bound for Japan had picked up nine fishermen from a capsized boat.