Typhoon Rumbia leaves heavy damage; 2 killed

Typhoon Rumbia, the 18th this year, has been moving northwest since making landfall in Shanghai's Pudong New Area on Friday, bringing heavy downpours and causing floods along the way.

The civil affairs department of Anhui province said one person has been confirmed dead and 13 others were injured as of Sunday noon.

More than 1.7 million people and nearly 243,000 hectares of crops have been adversely affected, local authorities said.

Typhoon Rumbia has caused direct economic losses of over 1.1 billion yuan ($160 million) in the province. More than 4,000 houses have been damaged.

According to the meteorological bureau of Henan province, the typhoon entered the region around 3 am on Saturday. Around 888,000 residents have been affected.

As of Sunday noon, one person has been reported dead. Nearly 109,000 hectares of crops have been affected, local authorities said. Direct economic losses are estimated at 198 million yuan.

The National Meteorological Center upgraded the rainstorm alert to the third-highest of a four-tier warning system, as storms were expected to batter Henan, Hebei, Shandong, Anhui and Jiangsu provinces on Saturday and Sunday.

Some parts of the provinces could experience downpours of up to 35 centimeters within 24 hours, according to the center.

Xinhua