Communication, power resume in rain-soaked Chinese city

CHANGSHA, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Communication and power supplies have largely resumed in central China's Zixing, where typhoon-induced heavy rains have left 30 people dead and 35 missing, authorities said Friday morning.

Following rainstorms unleashed by Typhoon Gaemi, power supplies were knocked out in 149 villages and communication was cut in 78 villages in Zixing, a county-level city in Hunan Province, said Kan Baoyong, the mayor of Chenzhou City that administers Zixing, at a press conference.

The intense rain has wrought "enormous damages" in Zixing, toppling 1,641 houses and causing 1,345 road collapses, according to the official.

A total of 118,000 residents have been affected while about 13,800 hectares of crops were damaged, including 5,000 hectares that were destroyed, Kan said, adding that the assessment has not been completed.