State media reported that eleven people were killed after a landslide hit a house in southeastern China on Sunday (28/7), as heavy rain from a tropical storm pounded the region.
Elsewhere in China, a deliveryman riding a scooter was killed Saturday (7/27) by a falling tree in Shanghai, apparently due to strong winds related to the storm, according to the digital news site, The Paper.
The deaths are the first in China that appear to be linked to Typhoon Gaemi, which weakened to a tropical storm after making landfall Thursday. Before reaching China, the typhoon had exacerbated monsoon rains in the Philippines, killing at least 34 people, and battered the island of Taiwan. The death toll in Taiwan rose to 10, authorities said Saturday.
The landslide hit the house at around 8 a.m. in Yuelin Village, which is under the jurisdiction of Hengyang City, in Hunan Province, the state broadcaster said. CCTV in a series of online reports.
Earlier reports said 18 people were trapped in the landslide, and six injured were rescued. It was not clear in the latest report whether another person was still missing. The report did not say who lived in the house, which was rented as temporary housing.
There is no information yet whether the injured victims suffered serious injuries.
Reports said the landslide was triggered by water flowing down a mountainside due to heavy rain. They did not name Gaemi but the China Meteorological Administration said rain associated with a tropical storm hit southeastern Hunan province on Saturday.
In Shanghai, a photo uploaded by The Paper shows a delivery scooter mostly covered by leafy branches on one side, near a still-standing bare tree trunk. It said winds associated with the storm were suspected to be the cause, and the investigation was ongoing. (ft)
