11 killed by mudslide in China as heavy rains from tropical storm Gaemi drench region

Eleven people were killed after a mudslide hit a house in southeastern China on Sunday as heavy rains from a tropical storm drenched the region, state media said.

Elsewhere in China, a delivery person on a scooter was killed Saturday after being hit by a falling tree in Shanghai, apparently because of strong winds related to the storm, according to The Paper, a digital news outlet.

The deaths were the first in China that appear linked to Typhoon Gaemi, which weakened to a tropical storm after making landfall on Thursday. Before reaching China, the typhoon intensified monsoon rains in the Philippines, leaving at least 34 dead, and swept across the island of Taiwan, where the death toll has risen to 10, authorities said late Saturday.

The mudslide struck the house about 8am in Yuelin village, which falls under the jurisdiction of Hengyang city in Hunan province, state broadcaster CCTV said in a series of online reports.

An earlier report said that 18 people were trapped by the mudslide, and that six injured people had been rescued. It wasn't clear in the latest report if one other person remained missing. The reports didn't say who was staying in the house, which was was rented for temporary stays.

Taiwanese soldiers clear debris in the aftermath of Typhoon Gaemi in Kaohsiung on Friday. AP

There was no information on whether the injuries were serious.

The reports said the mudslide was triggered by water rushing down the mountains from heavy rains. They didn’t mention Gaemi but the China Meteorological Administration said that rain tied to the tropical storm hit southeastern parts of Hunan province on Saturday.

In Shanghai, a photo posted by The Paper showed a delivery scooter on its side mostly covered by leafy branches near the still-standing barren trunk of a tree. It said storm-related winds were the suspected cause, and that the investigation was continuing.

Associated Press