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Morakot kills 3 in Fujian
By Hu Meidong and Ding Xueping (China Daily Fujian Bureau)
Updated: 2009-08-13 18:36

Three people were killed and one person is still missing in southeast China's Fujian province, which was directly hit by Typhoon Morakot, according to updated data revealed by the Fujian Headquarters for Flood Control and Drought Relief.

As of August 12, 1.65 million people in seven cities and 53 counties have been affected. Cities have been inundated by floods, with 1,400 houses destroyed, 529,900 people evacuated and 95,650 hectares of crops damaged. The direct economic loss caused by Morakot has risen to 1.983 bllion yuan.

Over 160 flights in Fuzhou's Changle Airport were canceled and 19 delayed during the typhoon. Various parts of the Shenyang-Haikou expressway were closed at different periods and some national highways and provincial highways experienced traffic jams. Xiamen-Jinmen and Quanzhou-Jinmen ship routes were suspended, as well as the Mawei-Mazu shipping line.

Typhoon Morakot landed on Xiapu in Fujian at 16:20 on August 9, when its center's maximum sustained winds reached level 12 (35m/sec). Central and southern Fujian province was struck by heavy rainstorms between August 11 and August 12 in Morakot's aftermath.