Typhoon

Typhoon Mujigae Lashes China, Philippines; At Least 9 Dead

Typhoon Mujigae raged through the northern Philippines and southern China over the weekend, bringing several strong tornadoes that killed at least 9 people and left dozens of fishermen missing.

Mujigae, the 22nd named storm of the 2015 Pacific typhoon season, made its way through the northern Philippines early Saturday, creating flooding and causing a few landslides, the Associated Press reports. It left two dead and around 30 fishermen missing, said regional Office of Civil Defense spokesman Mike Sabado.

After landing in Zhanjiang Sunday, the typhoon pummeled the city with strong winds and heavy rains, disrupting China’s week-long National Day holiday. Xinhua News Agency reports that this area saw the most severe damage. The Panyu District’s government says the tornadoes following Mujigae hit Nancun and Shiqi Sunday afternoon, damaging homes, killing three people and leaving 134 injured. Storms overtook three districts in Foshan, killing another three people and injuring 89.

A fisherman was also killed and another 16 people were reported missing in China.

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In one instance, a tornado swept up a car, killing the person inside, according to Guangdong’s civil affairs department.

This photograph taken on October 4, 2015 shows a billboard blown down by tornadoes after Typhoon Mujigae swept through Zhanjiang, south China's Guangdong province.
(STR/AFP/Getty Images)

By Monday morning, the typhoon traveled into Guangxi, prompting the region to order 12,700 fishing boats and 35,400 offshore workers to return to their ports.

Thousands of people were evacuated from southern China prior to Mujigae’s arrival and flights were grounded, BBC reports. Rail services in some of the cities along the southern coast of China were suspended and more than 500 tourists were stranded on Fangji Island as the typhoon ravaged the area.

The typhoon forced 66,300 people to be evacuated, ruined 748 homes and inflicted 175 million yuan in damages, which is equivalent to about $27.52 million, in Guangxi, BBC also reports.

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Pang Meizhi, a village head in Daba Township, told Xinhua News Agency that half of the village’s paddy fields would have no harvest at all. They are experiencing a power blackout and unstable telecommunications connection.

Li Bing, chief of Daba, asserts the typhoon was the worst natural disaster they’ve seen in years, affecting seven villages and nearly 10,000 residents.

Rescue efforts are underway throughout Guangdong and 90 percent of residences in Fanyu have had their power supply restored. China Southern Power Grid, a local power supplier, has dispatched workers to Zhanjiang, but restoring power will take longer due to heavy damage done to the local power grid.

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