Hundreds of thousands of people have been evacuated as authorities warn of rising rivers and flash floods in several provinces.
Typhoon Gaemi hit southeast China after crossing the Taiwan Strait.
The typhoon prompted warnings about rising rivers, flash floods and waterlogging in cities and provinces that were hit by extreme rains several weeks ago.
The third and most powerful typhoon to hit China’s east coast this year hit Fujian province at 7:50 pm (11:50 GMT) on Thursday, after hitting Taiwan with gusts of up to 227 kilometers per hour (141 miles per hour). some of the strongest winds recorded in the Western Pacific Ocean.
Before his arrival, 240,800 people in Fujian were evacuated.
Despite having weakened slightly since its arrival in Putian, in Fujian, a city with more than 3 million inhabitants, Gaemi and its gigantic bands of storms are expected to cause intense rain in at least 10 Chinese provinces in the coming days.
Gaemi’s arrival drew comparisons with last year’s Typhoon Doksuri, which caused historic flooding as far north as Beijing and caused national losses of nearly $30 billion.
Authorities said water levels in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, as well as in the vast freshwater lakes of Poyang and Dongting in central China, could rise, returning to the dangerous levels seen in early July following intense rainfall. summer.
Beijing warned that because of its high vapor content, Gaemi could bring heavy rain to the Chinese capital, about 2,000 kilometers (1,242 miles) north of Putian, even as the storm weakens to a tropical depression.
Authorities have warned that Gaemi’s rains could cause flash floods and waterlogging, especially in parts of northern China, where the ground remains saturated after being lashed by a passing storm system earlier this week.
Gaemi intensified seasonal rains earlier in the week in the Philippines, where the death toll rose to 22, with at least three people missing, police said.
The Philippine Coast Guard reported that an oil tanker, MT Terra Nova, loaded with about 1.4 million liters (370,000 gallons) of industrial fuel oil, sank off Bataan province on Thursday morning and rescue teams saved 15 of the 16 crew.
Gaemi causes deadly destruction in Taiwan
In Taiwan, Gaemi killed three people, caused flooding and sank a cargo ship after reaching the mainland on Wednesday night.
Some parts of southern Taiwan are expected to have recorded 2,200 mm (87 inches) of rainfall since Tuesday. The storm knocked out power to about half a million homes, although most are now back online, utility Taipower said.
In addition to the three deaths, the typhoon in Taiwan injured 380 people, the government said.
Taiwan’s fire department said a Tanzanian-flagged cargo ship with nine Myanmar nationals on board sank off the coast of the southern port city of Kaohsiung.
Three of them have since been found alive on the shore, Taiwan’s coast guard said.
Taiwanese television stations showed images of flooded streets in cities and counties across the island.
Offices, schools and financial markets closed for a second day on Thursday. Trains were stopped until 3pm (0700 GMT) and all domestic flights and 195 international flights were cancelled.
This story originally appeared on Aljazeera.com read the full story
