Three people were confirmed dead in mud flows and strong winds caused by Typhoon Neoguri in south China's Guangdong Province, said the provincial flood-control headquarters on Sunday.

The typhoon claimed two lives in Shenzhen City, when a mud flow inundated a section of road under construction. One person was hit and killed by an aluminum sheet blown off a stadium roof by strong gales in Zhuhai City, according a headquarters official.

The headquarters did not identify the victims.

Neoguri hit south China on Saturday with heavy rains and strong winds.

The headquarters received reports of damage from the cities of Yangjiang, Jiangmen, Zhuhai and Shenzhen.

In Yangjiang City, the typhoon's landing point, 274,000 people were affected and 7,000 hectares of farmland were inundated. Losses from suspension of industrial production and damage of embankments and telecommunications facilities were valued at 96 million yuan (US$14 million).

According to the provincial observatory, the center of the storm is moving eastward to Shanwei City on the eastern coast of Guangdong, which is receiving up to 112 millimeters of rain per hour.

The headquarters said water levels in all major reservoirs in the province were under the danger mark as of Sunday. But the risks of mountain torrents and mud flows were still high, since rains brought by Neoguri were expected to continue.

(Xinhua News Agency April 21, 2008)