By Monday morning the death toll from Typhoon Saomai had risen
to 214 with a further 56 bodies discovered in Fuding City of
southeast China's Fujian Province.
Over 160 people still remain missing after Saomai brought havoc
to eastern provinces including Fujian, Zhejiang and Jiangxi.
In Fuding, the worst hit city in Fujian, a total 97 bodies were
recovered from the sea. Twenty-seven of them remain
unidentified.
Officials with Fujian flood control and drought relief
headquarters said many people died when the powerful typhoon broke
the moorings on their vessels after they'd sought shelter in
harbor.
Local authorities and residents continue to search for those
reported missing.
The Fuding death toll update brings total fatalities in Fujian
to 125. Another 108 people have been reported missing in the
province.
Previous reports listed 87 dead and 52 missing in Zhejiang where
Saomai struck and two dead and one missing in nearby Jiangxi.
According to the China Meteorological Administration (CMA),
another two tropical storms, Sonamu and Wukong, are respectively
located at latitude 18.1 north, longitude 129.9 east and latitude
26.4 north, longitude 138.0 east. CMA experts believe they'll not
affect China in the next couple of days.
In another development, a heat wave continues in southwest and
west China, affecting more than 14 million people in Chongqing and 3.1 million in Sichuan Province, and causing estimated losses
of 9.23 billion yuan (US$1.15 billion). A shortage of drinking
water is worsening.?
(Xinhua News Agency August 14, 2006)