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Death toll from typhoon Wipha rises to five

The number of fatalities in east China resulting from the impact of typhoon Wipha has risen to five, and three others are missing, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

The ministry said on Wednesday evening that the deaths were caused by landslides triggered by Wipha.A total of 2.67 million people in Zhejiang, Fujian, Shanghai and Jiangsu had been relocated by 6 p.m. Wednesday.

The typhoon also destroyed more than 9,600 houses and damaged 42,000 others, it said.

The Zhejiang headquarters of flood control said Wednesday evening that 6 million people have been affected and three cities reported flooding. Zhejiang's direct economic loss stood at 3.82 billion yuan.

Typhoon Wipha, which has now been downgraded to a tropical storm, is moving northwestward at a speed of 20 km per hour but the wind speed at the eye of the storm has dropped to 72 km per hour.

Wipha is expected to enter Jiangsu Province in the early hours of Thursday and then pass to the Yellow Sea in the morning, the China Meteorological Administration said.

Shanghai has sound the all clear of warnings against the typhoon. Rains and winds were weakening on Wednesday evening.

However, Liaoning Province in northeast China issued marine warnings at 5:00 p.m. Thursday as it began to feel the influence of Wipha that was moving northwestward.

Rainstorms are forecast to hit south and east Liaoning on Thursday and gales to blow over the Bohai Sea and the Yellow Sea.

Dalian has suspended marine traffic starting from Wednesday afternoon.

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