Typhoon Kai-Tak kills 3 in S China

NANNING - Typhoon Kai-Tak has left three people dead, one person missing and forced over 111,500 people to evacuate their homes in southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region as of Monday afternoon, local civil affairs authorities said.

A man rows a makeshift boat across a flooded cropland in Shibu village, Nanning in Southwest China’s Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, Aug 20, 2012. Typhoon Kai-Tak has left three people dead, one person missing and forced over 111,500 people to evacuate their homes across the region, with economic losses estimated to be 1.65 billion yuan ($262 million). [Photo/Xinhua]

As of 4 pm Monday, Kai-Tak, the 13th tropical storm of the year, had ravaged 36 counties in Guangxi, destroying 1,457 homes. Over 212,150 hectares of crops were affected and 2,810 hectares of them were completely destroyed, said a statement from the region's civil affairs department.

Direct economic losses are estimated to be 1.65 billion yuan ($262 million), according to the statement.

Kai-Tak, which hit south China on Friday with heavy rains and strong winds, has also forced the evacuation of 342,000 people in neighboring Guangdong province and 82,000 people in the southernmost island province of Hainan, the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the National Commission for Disaster Reduction said on Sunday.