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Death toll rises to 9 as typhoon Koppu hits S China

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-09-17 21:19

GUANGZHOU: Two more people were killed and nine others remained missing as typhoon Koppu slammed its way into south China's Guangdong Province, bringing the death toll to nine, local authorities said Thursday.

All the nine missing were swept away by flash floods and the dead were killed by typhoon-triggered mud-rock flows, landslides, house collapses and flooding, according to Guangdong Flooding and Drought Relief Headquarters.

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As of 4 pm Thursday, more than 1.44 million local residents in 287 townships in the province were affected by the typhoon, according to the latest statistics of the headquarters.

The typhoon, the 15th this year, has brought rains to the province. Although it relieved the lingering drought in north and east Guangdong, the heavy rain also caused disruption.

The headquarters said more than 19,800 local residents had been moved to safety in the besieged city of Luoding.

More than 1,250 houses in Yangchun, Xinyi and Luoding cities have been destroyed by the typhoon.