Typhoon Rammasun causes huge economic losses in China

Beijing, July 20 (IANS) Direct economic losses caused by super typhoon Rammasun amounted to 26.55 billion yuan ($4.32 billion) in south China, official figures said Sunday.

The strongest typhoon in four decades has ravaged 468,500 hectares of crops and destroyed 37,000 homes in China's southern coastal provinces namely Hainan Province, Guangdong Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Xinhua quoted the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters as saying.

Rammasun weakened to a tropical depression early Sunday morning but is still affecting China's southern regions.

The number of people killed by the typhoon in China has risen to 17, officials said Sunday.

The latest statistics showed that more than 5.57 million people were affected by the super typhoon in China.

Meanwhile in Philippines, the number of people killed by typhoon Rammasun has risen to 77 Sunday.

Typhoon Rammasun, which made landfall in Philippines' eastern province of Albay Tuesday night was the strongest typhoon to hit the country so far this year.