The death toll from Typhoon Damrey has risen to nine as it swept through China's southernmost island province of Hainan on Monday. Nine people in five cities were confirmed dead. Six out of the nine victims were above the age of 60.

The provincial anti-disaster command center said the typhoon caused blackouts and communication failures. Damrey has been pelting the island for the last 15 hours. It is moving northwest to the mainland through Beibu Bay.

Wang Yixin, deputy secretary general of the Hainan Provincial Government told Xinhua that power has been lost in nine cities. It will take two to three days to get the power grid up and running again. However, it could take as long as a month to repair the entire network.

(Xinhua News Agency September 27, 2005)