Typhoon Death Toll Likely To Rise In China

Typhoon Winnie’s high winds and torrential rains have killed as many as 56 people in eastern China, uprooting trees and flooding thousands of homes, authorities said Thursday.

The death toll is expected to rise as information comes in from outlying areas.

The storm - described by Chinese meteorologists as the worst to hit the country in a decade - caused $2.5 billion in damage, the Xinhua news agency reported.

At least 50 people were dead or missing in Taizhou in Zhejiang province southeast of Shanghai, according to an official of the city’s foreign affairs office, who identified himself only as Mr. Lu.

News reports Tuesday said there were six typhoon-related deaths in other parts of the region, which surrounds Shanghai, China’s largest city.

The low-lying city of 14 million people escaped the full fury of the storm when Winnie passed inland, instead of turning north as predicted.

The storm interrupted airline and ferry services, cut power supplies and flooded 20,600 homes in Zhejiang, the China Daily reported.

By late Wednesday, food supplies and transportation had returned to normal in most areas, according to the national TV news. The report included footage of flooded buildings, streets filled with debris and work crews repairing damaged coastal dikes and roads.