Floods and landslides due to heavy downpours brought by typhoon Fanapi have claimed 18 lives as of 11 a.m. Wednesday in south China's Guangdong Province, while another 48 remain missing, local authorities said Wednesday. Some areas in Guangdong reported precipitation of over 640 mm in 24 hours, and rain-triggered geological disasters have destroyed over 1,200 homes and forced the evacuation of 78,300 people across the province, Xinhua quoted the provincial flood control headquarters as saying. Typhoon Fanapi, the 11th and strongest typhoon to hit China this year, landed in Fujian Province at 7 a.m. Monday, but wreaked most havoc in Guangdong, which neighbors Fujian on the south. As of Wednesday noon, no casualty had been reported in Fujian.
