Typhoon Bavi hits eastern China, forcing 2 million evacuations; some high-speed rail lines stopped, flights canceled | Today’s news

Typhoon Bavi hit eastern China’s Zhejiang province late Saturday, prompting authorities to remain on high alert as the storm was expected to gradually weaken, state media said.

Earlier, the typhoon swept across Japan’s southern islands and Taiwan, bringing heavy rainfall and strong winds. It was the second typhoon to hit China in just over a week, after Typhoon Maysak hit the south of the country on July 3.

Before Bavi’s arrival, more than 1.7 million people had been evacuated from vulnerable areas across eastern China. The storm produced maximum sustained winds of up to 144 km/h (89 mph) near its center.

In Shanghai, officials had evacuated nearly 34,000 residents from flood-prone and high-risk areas by midday Saturday, state news agency Xinhua reported.

In southeastern China, cities near the coast braced for the impacts. In the city of Ningde in Fujian province, more than 3,700 people had been relocated from high-risk coastal areas as of Friday evening, Xinhua reported. Authorities in Fujian province have put more than 17,000 rescuers on alert.

China’s National Meteorological Center issued an orange typhoon alert, the second highest at the four-level, with many schools and ferries suspended. Hundreds of flights were canceled and some high-speed rail services were halted.

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The center also issued the first red thunderstorm warning of the year on Saturday, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

Chinese authorities said on Saturday they had allocated 40 million yuan ($5.9 million) from central natural disaster relief funds to support typhoon prevention in Zhejiang and Fujian provinces and emergency rescue and humanitarian efforts.

Bavi passed north of Taiwan on Saturday and is expected to move northwest inland after making landfall in the coastal city of Yuhuan in Zhejiang, gradually weakening in intensity.

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Earlier, at least 17 people were killed in the southern Philippines, mostly by landslides triggered by seasonal monsoon rains that Bavi intensified before the typhoon blew toward Taiwan, Philippine officials said Saturday.

Landslides kill more than a dozen in the Philippines

Heavy monsoon rains boosted by Typhoon Bavi triggered a deadly landslide in a village in the coastal municipality of Malapatan in Sarangani province before dawn on Friday, leaving at least 10 dead and three others missing, Civil Defense Office spokesman Diego Mariano said.

Mariano also said a separate landslide that occurred early Friday in Calanogas, Lanao del Sur claimed five lives, while rescue teams continued to search for the six missing.

He added that two people were swept away and drowned by floods in Bukidnon province on Wednesday, though no further details were immediately available.

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According to the Deputy Administrator of the Office of Civil Defense Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV. In recent days, around 11,000 residents were evacuated to 77 emergency shelters in several provinces in the southern Philippines due to bad weather.

What did the Taiwanese authorities say?

Meanwhile, Taiwanese authorities said at least 113 people had been injured by 7 p.m. Saturday as Typhoon Bavi brought strong winds and heavy rain. Some injuries were reported among motorcyclists who failed to control the wet and slippery roads.

Authorities in Taiwan evacuated over 14,200 people from various 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 the southern Japanese prefecture of Okinawa, officials warned residents of dangerous waves, strong winds and possible storm surges. Public broadcaster NHK said over 200 flights were canceled in the region, while islands such as Ishigaki experienced heavy rain and strong winds.