Beijing:
Tornadoes spawned by a typhoon that battered southern China have left at least seven people dead and more than 200 injured, state media reported today.
Typhoon Mujigae, which landed in Guangdong province on Sunday, has also led to the injuries of 223 people, the official Xinhua news agency said.
"The deaths and injuries were a result of tornadoes induced by the typhoon," the report said.
Deaths and injuries were reported in Guangdong as well as neighbouring Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the report said.
Widespread power outages were also blamed on the storm, while tens of thousands have been evacuated and rice crops damaged, Xinhua said. Telecommunications blackouts have slowed the reporting of damage assessments.
The Guangxi civil affairs department reported that the typhoon had affected more than 1.44 million people by early afternoon today.
One of the dead was killed by a falling tree in Nanning, the regional capital, Xinhua said.
The typhoon comes as millions of Chinese take holidays to celebrate the October 1 National Day. Many tourists head to the country's sub-tropical southern coast.