Tropical storm Muifa causes economic losses of 3 bln yuan in China

BEIJING, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- Tropical storm Muifa, the ninth tropical storm to hit China this year, caused direct economic losses of nearly 3 billion yuan (466.31 million U.S. dollars) to the country, the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters said Tuesday.

Influenced by the storm, torrential rains pelted the municipality of Shanghai and the provinces of Liaoning, Zhejiang and Jiangsu, affecting the lives of 1.74 million local residents and impacting agricultural production on 101,000 hectares of farmland, the headquarters said.

The storm is no longer a threat, as it has weakened to a depression in northeast China's Liaoning Province after landing in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), according to the headquarters.

The government evacuated 1.3 million residents to safe areas and helped 148,000 vessels to find shelter from high winds, the headquarters said.