BEIJING, China (AP) -- China said 59 of its soldiers were washed away by raging floodwaters sparked by Typhoon Longwang , and the country's president has called for an all-out search, state media have reported.
The typhoon slammed into China's southeast coast late Sunday night. It was downgraded Monday afternoon to a tropical storm, but not before creating havoc on low-lying coastal areas.
The 59 soldiers, members of the China's paramilitary armed police in charge of domestic security, were in a training school barracks in Fujian province when the violent floods hit Monday night, state media said.
Two buildings at the school were washed away, the reports said.
President Hu Jintao ordered that no efforts be spared to search for them, state newspapers reported.
If they are confirmed dead, it would dramatically raise China's official death toll from Typhoon Longwang, which stands at three.
The typhoon also killed at least one person on the island of Taiwan before hitting mainland China.
Some 376,000 people in Fujian province were evacuated to safety Sunday before Longwang struck the eastern coast at 9:35 p.m. (1335 GMT), the official Xinhua News Agency said.
More than 38,000 boats were brought back to harbor, Xinhua said.
China has suffered numerous heavy storms this year. In September alone, typhoons Talim, Khanun and Damrey killed more than 130 people across the southern part of the country.
Longwang, which means "Dragon King" in Chinese, lashed the island of Taiwan on Sunday before hitting the mainland.
One man died in Taiwan after his house collapsed on him, and one woman was missing after being washed into a raging river, officials said.
Another 46 people suffered minor injuries, and seven houses were destroyed, the island's Disaster Relief Center said.
Officials in Taiwan said at least half a million homes suffered power blackouts, mostly in the city of Hualien.
Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed
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