The death toll from Typhoon Matsa that ripped through eastern China rose to 10 on Monday with seven of the casualties reported in Shanghai, state media said.
Matsa slammed into coastal areas over the weekend, tearing up roads, reservoirs and houses, causing $12-million of damage in China’s glitziest city, Shanghai, alone.
Xinhua news agency said seven people were killed in the metropolis, four of whom were electrocuted when power lines were brought down.
The typhoon flooded 20 000 houses, uprooted 2 700 trees and destroyed 400 high-tension power lines in the city. Its two airports, Hongqiao and Pudong, were closed for 30 hours.
Elsewhere, two people were killed in Zhejiang province, which was hit hardest by the typhoon that was packing winds of up to 160kph, the China Daily said.
Another resident died in Anhui province, Xinhua said.
More than 1,2-million people were evacuated ahead of the storm and local officials said this helped keep the death toll down.
”Casualties could have been even bigger without the timely evacuation of local residents,” said Yao Yuewei, deputy director of the Zhejiang Flood and Drought Relief Headquarters.
In an indication of the ferocity of the storm, the roof of a gymnasium was ripped off in Ningbo city where Asian qualifying rounds for the Women’s Volleyball World Championships were taking place. No one was injured.
Matsa pounded Taiwan on Friday but no casualties were reported. — AFP
