Typhoon Bavi struck eastern China with 144-kmph winds, forcing 1.7 million evacuations. Hundreds of flights canceled, rail halted, and red rain alerts issued.
Typhoon Bavi struck China's eastern Zhejiang province late on Saturday, carrying maximum sustained winds of 144 km/h (89 mph) near its center and forcing more than 1.7 million evacuations from vulnerable areas, state media reported. The storm, the second to hit the country in just over a week after Typhoon Maysak on July 3, prompted authorities to maintain high alert as it weakened gradually inland. China's National Meteorological Center issued an orange typhoon alert, the second-highest on a four-tier scale, and the first red alert for rainstorms of the year, according to state broadcaster CCTV. Hundreds of flights were canceled and some high-speed railway services halted. Schools and ferry services closed across Zhejiang, Fujian, and Shanghai, where officials relocated nearly 34,000 residents from flood-prone areas by Saturday noon, per the state-run Xinhua news agency. In Fujian's coastal city of Ningde, more than 3,700 people were moved from high-risk areas as of Friday evening, and over 17,000 emergency rescue workers were placed on standby. The central government allocated 40 million yuan ($5.9 million) in disaster relief funds to Zhejiang and Fujian for typhoon prevention and rescue efforts, authorities said Saturday. Bavi passed north of Taiwan earlier in the day and made landfall at Yuhuan in Zhejiang before weakening. Taiwan reported at least 113 injuries from strong winds and heavy rain by 7:00 p.m. Saturday, with some motorcyclists losing control on wet roads. Authorities on the island evacuated more than 14,200 people from areas including Hualien County and the central city of Taichung. Schools and government offices remained closed across most of the island. In Japan's southern Okinawa prefecture, officials warned of dangerous waves, powerful winds, and storm surges. Public broadcaster NHK reported over 200 flight cancellations in the region, while islands such as Ishigaki saw heavy rain and strong winds. Before reaching Taiwan and China, Bavi intensified seasonal monsoon rains in the southern Philippines, triggering landslides that killed at least 17 people, mostly in Sarangani province. The coastal municipality of Malapatan experienced a deadly landslide before dawn Friday, leaving 10 dead and three missing, Office of Civil Defense spokesperson Diego Mariano said. A separate landslide in Calanogas, Lanao del Sur, early Friday claimed five lives; six people remain missing. Two people drowned in floodwaters in Bukidnon province on Wednesday. Office of Civil Defense deputy administrator Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV said around 11,000 residents had been evacuated to 77 emergency shelters across several provinces in the southern Philippines in recent days.
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