Death Toll From Typhoon Saomai Rises to 295

台风桑美死亡人数升至295人

China's official Xinhua news agency says the death toll from last week's Typhoon Saomai has risen to 295, and the number is likely to increase. Xinhua says Tuesday that most of those killed lost their lives when the typhoon destroyed ships in the port city of Fuding, in China's southeastern Fujian Province. Others were killed in floods and landslides in Fujian, Jiangxi and Zhejiang provinces.

The agency described Saomai as eastern China's most powerful typhoon in five decades. China has experienced eight typhoons this year, which have caused nearly one-and-a-half billion dollars in economic losses. Xinhua says the storms have affected more than 40 million people in six provinces and flooded more than one-and-a-half million hectares of farmland.

中国官方新华社说，上星期的台风“桑美”带来的死亡人数已经上升到295人，这个数字可能还会上升。新华社星期二说，大多数人是在台风摧毁福建港口城市福鼎市的船只时丧生的。另一些人则死于福建、江西和浙江等省份的洪水或滑坡。

新华社说，“桑美”是中国东部地区50年来遭遇的最强台风。中国今年已经经历8次台风，造成将近15亿美元的经济损失。新华社说，这些台风影响到了6个省4千多万人，洪水总共淹没了150多万公顷的农田。