Devastating typhoon Mujigae kills seven in China

 Beijing: Seven persons were killed and 223 others injured in China's southern Guangdong Province as typhoon Mujigae, the 22nd typhoon of the year, left behind a trail of death and devastation caused by heavy wind and rains.

 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 since yesterday.

 Zhanjiang has seen the most severe damage.

 The telecommunications blackout has hindered reporting of the devastation to the Guangdong flood control headquarters, an official told state-run Xinhua news agency.

 The government of Fanyu District of Guangzhou said three persons were killed and 134 others injured after tornados hit Nancun and Shiqi damaging house.

 Storms also engulfed three districts of Foshan City where three persons were killed and 89 others injured.

 Rescue efforts are underway across affected areas in Guangdong.

 Power supply restoration will take longer time due to the heavy damage to the local power grid, it said.

 The Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region's government said, typhoon Mujigae has affected over 1.44 million people.

 One person was killed by a falling tree in the regional capital of Nanning.

 Since yesterday, Mujigae has forced 66,300 people to be transferred to safety, ruined 748 houses and inflicted economic losses of 175 million yuan (USD 27.52 million) in Guangxi.

 In Daba Township, a village head Pang Meizhi told Xinhua that half of the village's paddy fields will 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.