Typhoon Gaemi hits China, forcing thousands to flee after 25 killed – live

Typhoon Gaemi has weakened into a “severe tropical storm” over southeastern China, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).

Radar images show the latest path and intensity:

Authorities in China have warned of swelling rivers, flash floods and waterlogging in cities and provinces that were hit by extreme rain just several weeks ago.

Gaemi, the third and most powerful typhoon to hit China’s eastern seaboard this year, made landfall in Fujian province.

The typhoon has made landfall in China after sweeping across Taiwan, where it caused landslides and flooding in low-lying areas and left three people dead.

In China’s coastal Fujian province, more than 240,000 people have been forced to flee as it approached, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

After hitting the coast, the storm is expected to bring heavy rains to inland areas including the capital Beijing over the next three days.

A 78-year-old man in Taiwan died when his home was hit by a mudslide on Thursday afternoon, Taiwan’s Central News Agency said, and two people were killed on Wednesday before the storm made landfall around midnight.

Another 380 people were reported to have been injured.

A third death on Wednesday – a driver pinned under an overturned excavator – was initially attributed to the typhoon but later was determined not be linked, the news agency said.

Typhoon Gaemi is expected to bring heavy to very intense rains over vast swathes of China from Thursday, the water resources ministry warned.

The rains are expected to last for a week, fuelled by the typhoon’s abundant moisture, it added.

China’s National Meteorological Centre has issued a red alert, the highest level, according to Xinhua.

Emergency responses were put in place and flights and trains have been cancelled in Fujian as the typhoon is expected to bring heavy rainfall and gale force winds to parts of southeast China that have already been soaked in rain for days.

Chinese weather forecasters said Gaemi will pass through Fujian province later on Thursday and head inland, gradually moving northward with less intensity.

But weather forecasters are expecting heavy rain in many areas as it tracks north.

Government officials have already prepared for heavy rain and flooding, raising advisories and warnings in the coastal provinces of Fujian and Zhejiang.

In Fujian, government officials have relocated about 150,000 people, mainly from coastal fishing communities, state media reported.

As gale force winds picked up, officials in Zhoushan in Zhejiang province suspended passenger waterway routes for up to three days.

Most flights were cancelled at airports in Fuzhou and Quanzhou in Fujian, and Wenzhou in Zhejiang, according to the VariFlight app.

Guangzhou rail officials suspended some trains that pass through typhoon-affected areas, according to CCTV.

Meanwhile, north China is experiencing heavy rain from summer storms around a separate weather system.

Officials in capital Beijing upgraded and issued a red warning late on Wednesday night for torrential rain expected through most of Thursday, according to Chinese state media.

Some areas have already experienced heavy rain and emergency plans were activated, with more than 25,000 people evacuated, according to Beijing Daily.

Some train services were also suspended at the Beijing West Railway Station, state media said.

The Beijing Fangshan District Meteorological Observatory expects that by 10am (2am GMT) many parts of the city will have more than 150mm (6 inches) of rainfall in six hours, and in some other areas more than 200mm (8 inches) in 24 hours, state television reported.

Typhoon Gaemi has crossed Taiwan strait and it is looming over China’s China’s coastal Fujian province now.

Gaemi would be the biggest typhoon to hit China’s eastern seaboard this year, with its spiralling cloud-bands spanning most of the Western Pacific Ocean and fuelling severe weather from the Philippines to Japan’s Okinawa islands.

There’s a “big danger” Manila’s shoreline could be affected by the oil spill, warns coast guard spokesperson Rear Admiral Armando Balilo.

“There’s a big danger that Manila would be affected, its shorelines, if the fuel leaks because this happened within Manila Bay. It’s part of the contingency we’re preparing for,” Mr Balilo said.

“The effect on the marine environment would not be good.”

Mr Balilo compared the magnitude of the oil spill to one caused by the sinking of another Philippine oil tanker, which was carrying much less fuel oil cargo, in February last year off Oriental Mindoro province north of Manila.

That spill took about three months to contain, caused massive damage to coral reefs and mangroves in a region known for its rich biodiversity, and affected tens of thousands of fishermen and beach resorts in at least six provinces.

Manila’s shoreline is a major tourism and business hub, where the main seaport, a historic public park, the US Embassy and upscale hotels and restaurants are located.

Land reclamation efforts are also underway in the bay to create space for entertainment and tourism complexes with casinos. The bay for years has been notorious for its pollution but famous for its picturesque sunsets.