From Dec. 19 to Dec. 20, the bad weather struck more than 1,030 villages in Zhanjiang, affecting more than 220,000. The direct economic losses reached 270 million yuan (US$32.5 million).

The local authorities continue to search for victims in the hope of saving lives.

By Sunday afternoon, the bodies of four victims had been recovered off the coast of Leizhou, another city in Guangdong.

Ten fishing boats continue their rescue work.

Zhang Dejiang, Party Secretary of Guangdong and member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), responded to the disaster, urging that rescue efforts begin immediately.

(China Daily December 22, 2002)