Typhoon Bavi made landfall late Saturday night in China’s eastern Zhejiang province, with forecasters expecting the storm to gradually lose strength after moving inland, according to the country’s National Meteorological Centre.
Before reaching China, Bavi lashed Japan’s southern islands and Taiwan with heavy rain and strong winds.
The storm became the second typhoon to strike China in just over a week after Typhoon Maysak made landfall in the country’s south on July 3.
Chinese authorities evacuated more than 1.7 million residents ahead of the storm and raised high-level weather alerts as eastern provinces prepared for its impact. The typhoon packed maximum sustained winds of 144km/h near its centre.
The National Meteorological Centre said Bavi passed north of Taiwan before making landfall in the coastal city of Yuhuan in Zhejiang province. It is forecast to continue moving northwestward into inland areas.
In the Philippines, the storm’s impact proved deadly even before it reached China. At least 17 people died, most of them in landslides triggered by seasonal monsoon rains that were intensified by Typhoon Bavi, Philippine officials said on Saturday.
According to the official Xinhua News Agency, more than 1.7 million people had been evacuated in Zhejiang by Saturday morning. In neighbouring Shanghai, approximately 34,000 residents were relocated from vulnerable areas by midday as authorities stepped up precautionary measures.
Cities along China’s southeastern coastline also intensified preparations. In Ningde, Fujian province, more than 3,700 residents had been moved from high-risk coastal communities by Friday evening, while provincial authorities deployed more than 17,000 emergency rescue personnel on standby.
China’s weather authorities issued an orange typhoon alert, the second-highest warning in the country’s four-tier weather system. The severe weather forced the suspension of classes, ferry operations, hundreds of flights and several high-speed rail services.
State broadcaster CCTV reported that the National Meteorological Centre also issued its first red rainstorm alert of the year on Saturday as heavy rainfall threatened affected regions.
Chinese authorities announced the allocation of ¥40 million yuan (NZ$10.2 million) in central natural disaster relief funds to assist Zhejiang and Fujian provinces with typhoon prevention, emergency response and disaster relief operations.
In the Philippines, the deadliest incident occurred before dawn on Friday when a landslide triggered by monsoon rains intensified by Bavi struck a village in the coastal town of Malapatan in southern Sarangani province. The disaster killed at least 10 villagers and left three others missing, Office of Civil Defence spokesperson Diego Mariano said.
Mariano said another landslide in Calanogas town, Lanao del Sur province, claimed five lives before dawn on Friday, while six others remained missing.
He also confirmed that two people drowned in floodwaters on Wednesday in Bukidnon province but did not provide further details.
Office of Civil Defence deputy administrator Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV said about 11,000 villagers had been evacuated to 77 emergency shelters, most of them located in southern Philippine provinces affected by the stormy weather.
In Taiwan, authorities reported at least 113 injuries linked to Typhoon Bavi as of 7pm on Saturday. Some of the injuries occurred when motorcyclists lost control on slippery roads amid heavy rain and strong winds.
More than 14,200 residents were evacuated across Taiwan, including those living in Hualien county and the central city of Taichung. Schools and government offices remained closed across most parts of the island on Saturday.
Earlier, local authorities in Japan’s Okinawa prefecture warned residents about dangerous waves, strong winds and storm surges as Bavi passed through the region. Japan’s public broadcaster NHK reported that more than 200 flights were cancelled, while islands including Ishigaki experienced heavy rain and powerful winds.
