Typhoon Utor kills 18 in Guangxi

NANNING - Local officials continue to assess losses in disasters related to Typhoon Utor in South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, counting the latest death toll at 18, the regional civil affairs authority said Wednesday.

Figures from the department showed that another 13 people have been reported missing and about 1.33 million people were affected.

Utor, the 11th and strongest typhoon this year, made landfall in Guangdong province Wednesday last week before sweeping west into Guangxi.

According to tallies by the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the storm also killed 22 people in neighboring Guangdong province, with eight more reported missing.

In Guangxi, 115,300 people were evacuated from their homes as Utor approached.

Local agriculture also suffer severe damage, with 5.1 million hectares of farmland flooded due to rains brought by Typhoon Utor.