07-21-2006, 11:53 AM
Last Updated Fri, 21 Jul 2006 10:11:01 EDT
CBC News
The driving rain and sweeping winds of tropical storm Bilis have wreaked havoc in southern China, bringing the country's death toll to 482, state media reported on Friday.
Unusually strong monsoon rains have also pounded Japan and Korea, causing floods and landslides and killing 145 people over the past 10 days.
Authorities said Bilis, which made landfall in China last Friday, has caused mass flooding and mudslides. The central province of Hunan was the hardest hit, with 346 dead and 89 reported missing, the Xinhua News Agency said.
The storm also triggered floods and landslides in neighbouring southern provinces, killing 63 people in Guandong, 30 in Guangxi, and 43 in Fujian, according to Xinhua.
During the past week, nearly three million people have fled their homes in southern China. Some 262,000 homes were destroyed and rail lines and highways were washed out, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said. Residents who stayed behind struggled to find clean water as a heat wave settles over the region. In North and South Korea, authorities said floods and landslides have killed 129 people over the past week. The Red Cross said two key rice-producing provinces near the capital of Pyongyang could cause famine in North Korea.
In Japan, about 200 millimetres of rain is expected on Saturday. Heavy rainfall in the country has also caused floods and landslides in the country, killing 15 people.
With files from the Associated Press
http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2...storm.html