Typhoon Maria Kills 29 in Southern ChinaTyphoon Maria killed 29 people and caused at least $100 million in damage in two southern Chinese provinces, state media reported on Tuesday.In Guangdong, the economic powerhouse province bordering Hong Kong, Maria killed five people and caused damage worth 700 million yuan (US$84.6 million) when it hit land between the coastal cities of Huizhou and Shanwei on Friday, Xinhua news agency said. The Guangdong provincial government declared a state of emergency and was monitoring river levels after flash floods and torrential rains inundated farmland, toppled houses and disrupted traffic in the province, it said. In neighbouring Hunan province, Maria triggered landslides and caused buildings to collapse, killing 24 in the first two days of this month, the semi-official China News Service said. Preliminary estimates by provincial authorities put economic losses 107 million yuan, with at least 40,000 hectares (99,000 acres) of cropland and 4,500 homes destroyed in southern Hunan, the agency said. Typhoon Maria weakened into a tropical storm and faded after rampaging through Guangdong and Hunan, meterologists said. |
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