5 dead, 16 missing as typhoon Mujigae hits S. China
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E-mail Xinhua, October 5, 2015
Five people have been killed and another 16 are missing as typhoon Mujigae, the 22nd typhoon this year, made landfall in South China's Guangdong Province on Sunday.
![Photo taken on Oct. 4, 2015 shows gales and downpour in Zhanjiang, south China's Guangdong Province. Typhoon Mujigae, the 22nd typhoon this year, landed on South China's Guangdong Province on Sunday. [Photo/Xinhua]](http://images.china.cn/attachement/jpg/site1007/20151005/001aa0ba3c16177c128701.jpg "Photo taken on Oct. 4, 2015 shows gales and downpour in Zhanjiang, south China's Guangdong Province. Typhoon Mujigae, the 22nd typhoon this year, landed on South China's Guangdong Province on Sunday. [Photo/Xinhua]") |
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Photo taken on Oct. 4, 2015 shows gales and downpour in Zhanjiang, south China's Guangdong Province. Typhoon Mujigae, the 22nd typhoon this year, landed on South China's Guangdong Province on Sunday. [Photo/Xinhua] |
As of 7:30 p.m., 35 cases of boat stranding and anchor dragging had been reported off the waters of Zhanjiang City, with 117 fishermen being rescued and 16 still missing, according to the Zhanjiang maritime rescue center.
Three people died and another 80 were injured as a tornado hit Shunde District, Foshan City on Sunday afternoon, according to the municipal government.
The typhoon, bringing gales and downpours, hit the coastal city of Zhanjiang at 2:10 p.m., packing winds of up to 50 meters per second, the provincial meteorological observatory said.
The typhoon was in Hepu County in the neighboring Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region at 8 p.m. and is moving northwest to the cities of Qinzhou and Nanning with weakened strength.
Storms are predicted to last till Monday in west Guangdong and the Pearl River Delta.
Guangdong's flood control and drought relief headquarters elevated its typhoon emergency response to the highest level at 9 a.m.
As of 9 p.m., the typhoon caused widespread blackouts in Zhanjiang City, where water supply was also cut off in many areas.
More than 24,000 power maintenance workers in Guangdong are ready to deal with possible power cuts caused by the typhoon, according to the China Southern Power Grid.
More than 500 tourists have been stranded on Fangji Island, a popular scenic spot administered by Maoming City, said the city's office handling floods, droughts and typhoons.
The authorities began to evacuate tourists from the island on Saturday, but the operation was interrupted by strong winds. The remaining tourists were transferred to hotels for free accommodation.
Water, power supply and telecommunications at the hotels are unaffected. More than 130 emergency workers and a dozen police officers are caring for the tourists.
Fangji has called off all entertainment activities at sea and tightened inspections on dangerous areas.
As the typhoon coincides with China's week-long National Day holiday, many tourists heading for Guangdong and Guangxi regions will have to change their plans.
Guangdong has called off sightseeing and leisure activities at sea, such as fishing. Guangxi shut down some popular attractions, including Weizhou Island, the country's largest volcanic island. The site usually draws tens of thousands of tourists during the holiday.
"The wind is very strong on the island, with heavy downpours," said a hotel owner on the island. "Local residents are still on the island, but tourists have been evacuated."
Guangxi suspended services of 11 high-speed trains running along the coast for 12 hours from noon on Sunday and halted ticket sales of the trains till Monday noon.
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