Typhoon Bavi struck China’s eastern Zhejiang province late on Saturday, prompting authorities to maintain high alert as the storm was expected to weaken gradually, state media reported.
Earlier, the typhoon swept across Japan’s southern islands and Taiwan, bringing heavy rainfall and powerful winds. It marked the second typhoon to hit China in just over a week, after Typhoon Maysak made landfall in the country’s south on July 3.
Ahead of ‘s arrival, more than 1.7 million people were evacuated from vulnerable areas across eastern . The storm carried maximum sustained winds of up to 144 kmph (89 mph) near its centre.
In , officials relocated nearly 34,000 residents from flood-prone and high-risk areas by Saturday noon, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency
In southeastern China, cities near the coast prepared for the impacts. In the city of Ningde in Fujian province, more than 3,700 people were relocated from high-risk onshore areas as of Friday evening, Xinhua said. Authorities in Fujian province placed over 17,000 emergency rescue workers on standby.
China’s National Meteorological Center issued an orange typhoon alert, the second-highest on a four-tier level, with many schools and ferry services suspended. Hundreds of flights have been canceled, and some high-speed railway services halted.
The center on Saturday also issued the first red alert for rainstorms of the year, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
Chinese authorities said Saturday they have allocated 40 million yuan ($5.9 million) in central natural disaster relief funds to support Zhejiang and Fujian provinces’ typhoon prevention and emergency rescue and relief efforts.
Bavi passed north of Taiwan on Saturday and is expected to move northwestward inland after making landfall in the coastal city of Yuhuan in Zhejiang, with its intensity gradually weakening.
Earlier, at least 17 people were killed in the southern Philippines, mostly due to landslides that were set off by seasonal monsoon rains that Bavi intensified before the typhoon blew away toward Taiwan, Philippine officials said Saturday.
Landslides kill over a dozen in the Philippines
Heavy monsoon rains strengthened by Typhoon Bavi triggered a deadly landslide in a village in the coastal municipality of Malapatan in Sarangani province before daybreak on Friday, leaving at least 10 people dead and three others missing, Office of Civil Defense spokesperson Diego Mariano said.
Mariano also said a separate that occurred in Calanogas, Lanao del Sur, early on Friday claimed five lives, while rescue teams continued searching for six missing people.
He added that two people were swept away and drowned in floodwaters in Bukidnon province on Wednesday, though no further details were immediately available.
According to Office of Civil Defense deputy administrator Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV, around 11,000 residents have been evacuated to 77 emergency shelters across several provinces in the southern Philippines in recent days because of the severe weather.
What did Taiwan authorities say?
Meanwhile, Taiwanese authorities said at least 113 people had been injured by 7 pm. Saturday as Typhoon Bavi brought strong winds and heavy rain. Some of the injuries were reported among motorcyclists who lost control on wet and slippery roads.
Authorities in Taiwan evacuated over 14,200 people from different parts of the island, including Hualien County in the east and the central city of Taichung. Schools and government offices remained closed across most of the island on Saturday as the typhoon disrupted normal life.
Japan warns residents
In Japan’s southern Okinawa prefecture, officials warned residents about dangerous waves, powerful winds and possible storm surges. Public broadcaster NHK reported that over 200 flights were cancelled across the region, while islands such as Ishigaki experienced heavy rain and strong winds.
