11 dead in China mudslide, heavy rain from tropical storm Gaemi batters region

BEIJING (AP) — Eleven people were killed after a mudslide hit a house in southeastern China on Sunday as the region was battered by heavy rain from a tropical storm, state media reported.

Elsewhere in China, a deliveryman on a scooter died Saturday after being hit by a falling tree in Shanghai, likely caused by strong winds caused by the storm, according to The Paper, a digital news platform.

The deaths were the first in China that appeared to be linked to Typhoon Gaemi, which weakened to a tropical storm after making landfall on Thursday. Before the typhoon reached China, monsoon rains intensified in the Philippines, killing at least 34 people, and lashed the island of Taiwan, where the death toll rose to 10, authorities said late Saturday.

The mudslide hit the house at around 8 a.m. in Yuelin village, which falls under the jurisdiction of Hengyang city in Hunan province, state broadcaster CCTV reported in a series of online reports.

An earlier report said 18 people were trapped in the mudslide and six injured people had been rescued. The latest report did not specify whether anyone was still missing. The reports did not say who was staying at the house, which was being rented out temporarily.

There was no information about the severity of the injuries.

According to reports, the mudslide was caused by water flowing down the mountains due to heavy rain. They did not name Gaemi, but the China Meteorological Service said rain associated with the tropical storm hit southeastern parts of Hunan province on Saturday.

In Shanghai, a photo posted by The Paper showed a delivery scooter on its side, largely covered in leafy branches, near the still-bare trunk of a tree. It said storm-related winds were the suspected cause and that the investigation was ongoing.