Typhoon weakens as it hits China's east coast
20 September 2007
Typhoon Wipha weakened as it crossed China's eastern coast on Wednesday, but still caused havoc, killing five people while another three were reported missing, Reuters reported. The deaths mostly resulted from landslides as torrential rains hit Zhejiang province as well as parts of neighboring Fujian, Anhui and Jiangsu. Estimated economic losses came to US$878.2 million. In Zhejiang, 6 million people were affected as nearly 2,500 homes were destroyed, 1,900 villages lost power, 160,000 acres of farmland was flooded and 239 roads cut off. The widely expected advance of Wipha on Shanghai, where 200,000 people were evacuated as a precautionary measure, failed to materialize.