The death toll from Typhoon Damrey has risen to nine as it swept
through China's southernmost island province of Hainan
on Monday. Nine people in five cities were confirmed dead. Six out
of the nine victims were above the age of 60.
The provincial anti-disaster command center said the typhoon
caused blackouts and communication failures. Damrey has been
pelting the island for the last 15 hours. It is moving northwest to
the mainland through Beibu Bay.
Wang Yixin, deputy secretary general of the Hainan Provincial
Government told Xinhua that power has been lost in nine cities. It
will take two to three days to get the power grid up and running
again. However, it could take as long as a month to repair the
entire network.
(Xinhua News Agency September 27, 2005)
