Flash flood in Qinghai construction site kills 24
Typhoon causes landsides and flight delays in Taiwan; coastal provinces evacuate residents
The mainland braced itself for the arrival of Typhoon Trami with emergency officials making disaster relief preparations, as the country recovered from severe weather which left more than 150 people dead.
Trami struck yesterday in heavily populated northern Taiwan, prompting schools and offices to close down as heavy rains triggered landslides and other disruptions throughout the island.
The storm had dumped 300mm of rain on Taipei by nightfall, and close to 500mm in mountainous areas of northwestern Taiwan. With heavy rains expected to continue through most of today, those totals could easily double.
The island's civil aviation regulator said at least 273 international and domestic flights were disrupted yesterday.
Mainland authorities predicted Trami would make landfall in Fujian province overnight.
The National Disaster Reduction Commission issued a disaster relief response, urging civil affairs authorities in Zhejiang , Fujian, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guangdong, Guizhou and Guangxi provinces to bolster emergency services and release forecast information in a timely manner.
The provinces evacuated residents, fishermen and tourists as the typhoon bore down on the coastal provinces, state media said.
In Qinghai province, at least 24 workers were killed when a flash flood swept through a construction site, Xinhua reported. Rescuers were still searching for those unaccounted for in Tuesday's disaster in Wulan county.
In Fushun , Liaoning province, the death toll rose to 63 in the worst flooding in decades, Xinhua reported.
About 101 people were still missing, according to provincial flood control headquarters. Another 49 people have died in Guangdong, Hunan and Guangxi provinces, the Ministry of Civil Affairs announced.
Associated Press and Agence France-Presse