A month after Typhoon Maysak, China reports 159 dead and 10 missing

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BEIJING (AP) — Typhoon Maysak, which hit China more than a month ago, killed at least 159 people, with 10 still missing, state media reported Friday.

The storm, which hit China's southwestern Guangxi province in early July, brought historic rains and severe flooding. Two cities, Nanning and Guigang, were the most heavily impacted. At the time, officials reported 39 deaths.

It is not uncommon for officials to update a death toll days after an incident, although in this instance, more than a month had passed since the initial storm hit.

In Guangxi, cumulative rainfall was 10 to 40 centimeters (4 to 16 inches) in some areas and more than 90 centimeters (35 inches) in hard-hit areas, the national meteorological center said in July.

Of the total death toll, 107 people died of floods caused by the collapse of six dams in Nanning, according to state media.

The government deployed military rescue teams during initial stages of the flooding to rescue students and teachers trapped by high flood waters in Guigang. The city estimated 14 billion yuan ($2 billion) of direct economic damage from the storm.

Across Asia, climate change has supercharged storms, and the continent is warming nearly twice as fast as the global average.