KARUNA SHINSHO, CNN ANCHOR: A downgraded Typhoon Utor is being blamed for at least one death in mainland China. The typhoon weakened to a tropical storm after making landfall in Shanwei, in Guangdong province. The death in China brings the toll from Utor to at least 74 across Asia. Mike Chinoy has more.</s>MIKE CHINOY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Downtown Hong Kong as typhoon Utor slammed into the South China coast. Torrential rains and driving winds, bringing one of Asia's key financial and transport centers to a virtual halt. Banks, government offices, schools, courts, the stock exchange and most businesses were shut. Ferry, bus and train services came to a standstill. Hundreds of passengers were stranded as dozens of flights were delayed or canceled at Hong Kong International Airport. Worst hit were the territory's rural areas bordering the sea, where whole neighborhoods were inundated, emergency teams evacuating some people from their homes. The eye of the storm, with winds of over 100 kilometers an hour, came ashore just north of Hong Kong in the Chinese province of Guangdong. Local officials reported heavy damage there to roads, power lines, dams and farmland. Initial estimates of losses run into tens of millions of U.S. dollars. Meanwhile, landslides caused by Utor's rain and gales were being blamed for many of the more than 70 deaths reported in the northern Philippines, many roads in the area still blocked. And in Taiwan, where casualties were much lower, the storm disrupted transport and communication links. In Hong Kong, too, a big cleanup lies ahead. But many here are breathing a sigh of relief, because it could have been much worse. (on camera): Utor was originally projected to be potentially one of the biggest typhoons to hit this part of Asia in nearly 20 years. That turned out not to be the case, but the storm still packed a powerful enough punch to spread misery and destruction across thousands of miles. Mike Chinoy, CNN, Hong Kong.
Typhoon Utor Kills At Least One in Mainland China