11 dead in China landslide as heavy rains from Tropical Storm Gaemi drench region | DC News Now

BEIJING (AP) — Eleven people were killed Sunday when a landslide hit a house in southeastern China while heavy rains from a tropical storm drenched the region, state media reported.

Elsewhere in China, a delivery driver riding a scooter in Shanghai died on Saturday after being hit by a falling tree. The incident appeared to be caused by strong winds associated with the storm, digital news portal The Paper reported.

The deaths were the first in China apparently linked to Typhoon Gaemi, which weakened to a tropical storm after making landfall on Thursday. Before reaching China, the typhoon intensified monsoon rains in the Philippines, killing at least 34 people. It also swept across the island of Taiwan, where the death toll rose to 10, authorities said late Saturday.

The landslide struck the house around 8 a.m. in Yuelin village, which is 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 by the landslide and six injured people had been rescued. It is not clear from the latest report whether another person is missing. The reports did not mention who was staying in the house, which was rented out for temporary stays.

There was no information on whether the injuries were serious.

The reports said the landslide was triggered by water rushing down the mountains as a result of heavy rains. Gaemi was not mentioned in the report, but the China Meteorological Administration said rains linked to the tropical storm hit southeastern parts of Hunan province on Saturday.

In Shanghai, a photo posted by The Paper showed a delivery scooter lying on its side, mostly covered by leafy branches, next to the still-standing bare trunk of a tree. It said storm-induced winds were the suspected cause and that an investigation was ongoing.