Tropical Storm Podul Causes Chaos in China and Taiwan

Taipei, Aug 14 (AP) Heavy rains swept across parts of southeastern China on Thursday as Tropical Storm Podul made landfall. This comes after the storm left one person missing on the self-governing island of Taiwan.

School sessions were canceled in both Hong Kong and Macao. Flooding led to the closure of some streets in Macao, and court proceedings were suspended in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Observatory, the city's meteorological agency, cautioned residents to avoid the shores.

Podul made landfall shortly after midnight in Fujian province, having been downgraded from typhoon strength. According to the Xinhua News Agency, approximately 15,000 people were evacuated from coastal areas in southern China ahead of the storm. There have been no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

Southern Taiwan was in recovery mode after Podul struck its east coast as a typhoon on Wednesday before heading into the Taiwan Strait five hours later. One person was reported missing after being swept out to sea, and around 100 were injured with 8,000 evacuated to shelters. Electric company workers acted quickly to restore power amid complaints about slow responses in previous storms.

Meanwhile, in Yunnan province in southwestern China, one person lost their life, and three others were reported missing after heavy rains triggered a landslide on Wednesday, state media reported.

In Beijing, the body of a village leader who had been missing for over two weeks due to flooding was found on Wednesday, increasing the death toll from that disaster to at least 45 people.

The 51-year-old official, who died while attempting to evacuate two elderly individuals, was posthumously honored as an "Outstanding Communist Party Member of Beijing," according to a statement released Thursday by the Beijing Communist Party committee. The statement did not specify the exact cause of her death.

Both she and her husband, who also perished in the flood, were recognized for their service. (AP) SCY SCY

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