Typhoon Haiyan claims 6 in S. China

Six people have been killed with more than 500,000 affected in Hainan province and the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region as a weakened Typhoon Haiyan hit the coast of southern China over the weekend, causing strong winds and torrential rains, authorities said.

The epicenter of the storm reached Ningming county in Guangxi on Monday morning, packing winds with speeds of up to 118 kilometers an hour and moving northeast at 15 km/h.

The region issued red alert on Monday, the highest in its four-tier warning system, and warned of rainstorms and gales until Tuesday.