168,000 affected by Typhoon Vicente in S China

NANNING - Typhoon Vicente has affected 168,000 people in Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, including 9,900 who were forced to evacuate, local authorities said Wednesday.

Vicente, this year's eighth typhoon, made landfall near the city of Taishan in Guangdong province early Tuesday, bringing gales and rainstorms to Guangdong and Guangxi.

Between Tuesday night and Wednesday afternoon, precipitation surpassed 200 mm in several cities in Guangxi, while winds of more than 70 km per hour were recorded in the cities of Nanning, Yulin, Wuzhou and Beihai, according to the region's meteorological center.

The storm has toppled more than 1,200 farm houses and damaged 8,490 hectares of crops. Direct economic losses totaled 46.6 million yuan ($7.3 million), the region's civil affairs department said.

In Guangdong, three people died and six others were reported missing due to disasters caused by the typhoon, which also caused temporary blackouts and traffic disruptions.

Local meteorological authorities in Guangxi said heavy downpours could continue into Friday.