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Typhoon Chebi wreaks havoc in China

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China
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D.Relief.org
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Written by Becky Orfinger, Staff Writer, DisasterRelief.org, with news reports
A typhoon killed 73 people in China this weekend after leaving at least nine dead in Taiwan, China News Service said Monday (June 25). All of the deaths occurred in the southeastern province of Fujian, authorities said. Many people were still reported missing Sunday after Typhoon Chebi weakened and headed out to sea, bringing heavy rains to South Korea.

The typhoon blasted the coast of China on Saturday night and caused an estimated $422 million in damage in Fujian, according to Reuters. Authorities said that they were still in the process of verifying death and missing person reports.

In Taiwan, at least nine people were reported dead and 15 declared missing. An official at the Interior Ministry of Taiwan's National Fire Administration told CNN that five of the people killed there were Taiwanese and the other four were Chinese crewmembers from a ship that had been sailing near the coast of southern Taiwan Saturday.

One of the rescued crew members, 25-year-old Chen Lin, reported seeing "waves as tall as a mountain." He was lost at sea, afloat because of his life vest, when a passing ship rescued him. Fifteen crew members are still missing. The Chinese ship was carrying 5,700 tons of iron sand and was heading from Fujian to Tainan, in Taiwan, when it was lashed by Typhoon Chebi, authorities reported.

More than 100 smaller boats and four yachts in the waters near Taiwan sank during the storm. Four Taiwan nationals were also killed when they fell into the sea, authorities said, and another man fell to his death after high winds knocked him off his balcony on the Taiwanese island of Penghu, authorities said.

Flying debris reportedly injured many others in Taiwan. Reuters reported that Taiwan Coast Guard and Navy ships would spend the next few days searching for missing crew members from the Chinese ship.

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DisasterRelief: DisasterRelief.org is a unique partnership between the American Red Cross, IBM and CNN dedicated to providing information about disasters and their relief operations worldwide. The three-year-old website is a leading disaster news source and also serves as a conduit for those wishing to donate to disaster relief operations around the globe through the international Red Cross movement. American Red Cross disaster assistance is free, made possible by voluntary donations of time and money from the American people. To help the victims of disaster, you may make a secure online credit card donation or call 1-800-HELP NOW (1-800-435-7669) or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish). Or you may send your donation to your local Red Cross or to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, D.C. 20013. The American Red Cross is dedicated to helping make families and communities safer at home and around the world. The Red Cross is a volunteer-led humanitarian organization that annually provides almost half the nation's blood supply, trains nearly 12 million people in vital life-saving skills, mobilizes relief to victims in more than 60,000 disasters nationwide, provides direct health services to 2.5 million people, assists international disaster and conflict victims in more than 20 countries, and transmits more than 1.4 million emergency messages to members of the Armed Forces and their families. If you would like information on Red Cross services and programs please contact your local Red Cross. © Copyright, The American National Red Cross. All Rights Reserved.