Typhoon Mujigae batters South China, kills at least 7

A fallen billboard blocks a street in Zhanjiang, Guangdong province, after Typhoon Mujigae made landfall near the city on Sunday. At least one fisherman was reported killed and another 16 were missing after the typhoon hit the city at 2:10 pm, according to the local maritime rescue center. In another development, three people were killed and about 80 were injured when a tornado hit the Shunde district in the Guangdong city of Foshan. [WU LU/XINHUA]

Since landing on South China's Guangdong Province Sunday, typhoon Mujigae has left at least seven people dead and 223 injured.

The deaths and injuries were a result of tornadoes induced by the typhoon. In Zhanjiang City, where Mujigae landed, gales and downpour brought a telecommunications blackout and cut off power and water in most areas.

Zhanjiang has seen the most severe damage. The telecommunications blackout has hindered reporting losses to the Guangdong flood control headquarters, an official told Xinhua.

The government of Fanyu District of Guangzhou said, tornados hit Nancun and Shiqi on Sunday afternoon, leaving houses damaged and three people dead. Another 134 people were injured.

Storms also engulfed three districts of Foshan City on Sunday afternoon and three people were dead and another 89 were injured, the local government said.

Rescue efforts are underway across affected areas in Guangdong. Power supply has been restored for 90 percent of residences in Fanyu.

China Southern Power Grid, a local power supplier, has sent workers from neighboring areas to Zhanjiang, but power supply restoration will take longer time due to the heavy damage to the local power grid.

The department of civil affairs in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region said, typhoon Mujigae has affected over 1.44 million people by 1 p.m. Monday. One person was killed by a falling tree in the regional capital of Nanning.

Since Sunday, Mujigae has forced 66,300 people to be transferred to safety, ruined 748 houses and inflicted economic losses of 175 million yuan ($27.52 million) in Guangxi. Among the losses, 132 million yuan came from affected farmland of 47,390 hectares.

In Daba Township, a village head Pang Meizhi told Xinhua that half of the village's paddy fields would have no harvest at all. The village has a power blackout and instable telecommunications connection.

Li Bing, chief of Daba, said the typhoon has been the worst natural disaster in Daba for years, affecting seven villages and nearly 10,000 residents.