Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com).
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August 10, 2009

East Asia Tropical Cyclones Kill More Than 50
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=25E2DBA:A6F02AD83191E160F6CD86B2D4BEEC8B3CF5CDEF8FC051DA&
 
Typhoon Morakot, Tropical Storm Etau bring mudslides, flooding; hundreds
of villages submerged in China 
The death toll from two tropical cyclones that have battered parts of
East Asia in recent days has risen to more than 50.Two men float a dog
and supplies through flooded streets of Pingtung county, southern
Taiwan, 10 Aug 2009Authorities in Taiwan say Typhoon Morakot killed at
least 15 people and left at least 55 others missing when it struck the
island on Friday and Saturday. Officials say they also have lost contact
with hundreds of people in a village, Shiao Lin, hit by mudslides Sunday
in a mountainous region of southern Taiwan. Road access to the village
was cut off and many people were feared buried in their homes. Morakot
slammed into eastern China Sunday, killing at least three people and
forcing the evacuation of a million people from coastal areas. It
weakened into a tropical storm as it moved further inland. Before
hitting Taiwan, Morakot struck the Philippines, killing 22 people.
Elsewhere, Tropical Storm Etau brought floods and landslides to western
Japan Monday, killing at least 13 people. The storm is forecast to
approach Tokyo and central Japan on Tuesday. Taiwan officials say
Morakot triggered the worst flooding in the island's south for 50 years.
Authorities used helicopters to rescue people stranded by floods and
landslides across the region. Chinese state media say Morakot also
submerged hundreds of villages and destroyed around 2,000 homes in
Zhejiang and Fujian provinces.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.


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