Typhoon toll in southern China rises to 46 dead with 25 people missing; 2nd storm nears Taiwan

BEIJING – The death toll from the strongest typhoon to slam into China’s south in decades has risen to 46, with 25 other people still missing, the government said Tuesday.

The Civil Affairs Ministry said Typhoon Rammasun caused floods, hail showers and mudslides since it made landfall Friday. The storm destroyed tens of thousands of homes, damaged roads and ports and cut electricity and water supplies in southern Chinese cities.

It was the strongest typhoon to hit southern China in 41 years, with wind speeds reaching 216 kilometres per hour (130 mph), according to the China Meteorological Administration. It also caused 94 deaths in the Philippines and at least 11 in Vietnam.

A second storm, Typhoon Matmo, with sustained winds of 139 kph (85 mph) was approaching Taiwan and forecast to hit its east-central coast Wednesday morning. Torrential rains, exceeding 20 centimetres (7.8 inches) over 24 hours, were forecast for virtually the entire island.

Image: In this photo taken Saturday, July 19, 2014, a woman looks at a tree uprooted by Typhoon Rammasun in Nanning in south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The strongest typhoon to hit southern China in four decades has killed more than a dozen people, the government said Sunday. (AP Photo)