Beijing, Tue Nov 12: The storm that devastated the Philippines has killed eight people in southern China and inflicted hundreds of millions of dollars in damage to farming and fishing industries, state media reported Tuesday.
Typhoon Haiyan, which slammed into the Philippines last Friday as one of the strongest storms ever to make landfall, already had weakened to a tropical storm by the time it crossed into southern China on Monday. But it still had gusts up to 100 kilometers per hour (60 miles per hour) and dropped up to 38 centimeters (15 inches) of rain over some parts of Guangxi province.
Hardest hit in China was the southern island of Hainan, where the approaching storm wrenched a cargo ship from its moorings Sunday, drove it out to sea and prevented rescue attempts by speed boat and helicopter. Three bodies were recovered and four crew members remained missing, China National Radio said.
By Tuesday, four other people in Hainan were confirmed dead, including two people hit by falling objects, according to China National Radio, which said the storm caused up to $700 million in damage to agricultural, forestry, poultry and fishing industries there.
