“Typhoon Mujigae gained power quickly before it made landfall in densely populated Guangdong province on Sunday, wielding winds as strong as 216 kph (134 mph)”.
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Nearly 30 fishing boats with more than 150 fishermen were returning from the South China Sea when Mujigae caught them at sea, the regional disaster and risk reduction agency said in a report on Sunday.
Seven people have died in typhoon-triggered tornados in Guangdong: three in Panyu district on the outskirts of Guangzhou, and four in Shunde district of Foshan, Guangdong provincial civil affairs department said in a press release Tuesday night.
The death toll from a typhoon that struck China on the weekend has risen to 19, with four people missing, state media says. A few 117 fishermen were rescued according to local maritime authorities, the agency said.
The typhoon has also created fierce winds and torrential rain which has led to flooding and power outages across the region.
By Monday morning, the typhoon had moved into the neighboring region of Guangxi and its high wind speed dropped to 54 kilometers (34 miles) per hour.
Guangdong’s civil affairs department estimates the province suffered 23 billion yuan (HK$28 billion) in losses from the storm, which affected 3.5 million people and damaged more than 280,000 hectares of crops.
The worst part is that the typhoon hit the nation when the people were enjoying holidays to celebrate the National Day on October 1.
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Flights were canceled along China’s southern coast, while authorities have closed popular tourist attractions including Weizhou Island in Guangxi, which usually sees thousands of tourists during the holiday season.
