Typhoon Bavi forces evacuations of nearly 2 million in China as Taiwan and Philippines count casualties

Mass evacuations in eastern China

Nearly two million people have been evacuated across China ahead of Typhoon Bavi's expected landfall early Sunday. Zhejiang province alone relocated more than 1.7 million residents as of Saturday morning, according to Xinhua. Wenzhou, a municipality of nearly 10 million, moved approximately 887,800 people by Friday evening. Shanghai relocated about 34,000 residents from high-risk areas by Saturday noon. Fujian province evacuated over 130,000, including more than 3,700 from onshore areas in Ningde, and placed over 17,000 emergency rescue workers on standby. In the capital Beijing, more than 100,000 were evacuated due to heavy rainfall already affecting the city. Zhejiang also closed 12,154 schools and kindergartens, 444 tourist sites and 78 cultural sites. In Ningbo, authorities expect the most intense rain and wind from Saturday afternoon through Sunday morning, with total suspension of urban bus services. The China Meteorological Centre issued an orange typhoon alert, the second-highest level, and on Saturday also issued the first red alert for rainstorms of the year, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

Taiwan braces as Bavi passes north

Taiwan evacuated more than 14,200 people, mostly from mountainous areas in the north and east, and declared a typhoon holiday for Saturday. All 274 domestic flights and 917 international flights were cancelled. The main north-south high-speed rail line remained open with reduced service. Taiwan's Central Weather Administration (CWA) recorded maximum sustained winds of 89 mph (around 137 km/h) near the storm's centre, with gusts reaching approximately 173 km/h. As of 8 a.m. Saturday, Taiwanese authorities reported at least 87 injuries, some sustained while riding motorcycles on rain-slicked roads. Over 170,000 households lost power.

It's ok, it's not that serious. It's just a little bit more wind.

Path and forecast track

At 2 p.m. local time (4 a.m. Italian time) on Saturday, China's National Meteorological Centre located Bavi's centre approximately 290 km east of the Zhejiang-Fujian border in the southeastern East China Sea. The storm is moving northwest at 30-35 km/h and is forecast to make landfall between Sanmen and Cangnan in Zhejiang between midnight and the early hours of Sunday, packing winds of intensity level 12-13, before weakening inland. Bavi earlier crossed Japan's Sakishima Islands, part of Okinawa Prefecture, and had been classified as a super typhoon when it struck Guam and the Northern Marianas on Monday before being downgraded.

Deadly landslides in the Philippines

Bavi did not directly hit the Philippines but intensified the seasonal southwest monsoon, triggering heavy rainfall and landslides. At least 17 people were killed and nine remain missing, according to the national disaster agency in Manila. A pre-dawn landslide on Friday in Malapatan, Sarangani province, killed at least 10 villagers, with three others missing. A separate landslide in Calanogas, Lanao del Sur province, killed five people, with six missing. Two people drowned in floodwaters on Wednesday in Bukidnon province. About 11,000 villagers moved to 77 emergency shelters across southern provinces.

Aftermath of a deadly week

Bavi arrives after a week of natural disasters in China: Typhoon Maysak's rains killed at least 39 people in Guangxi, a landslide in Gansu killed 21, and storms and tornadoes in Hubei left 11 dead. Hundreds of flights and dozens of rail services were cancelled across Zhejiang. In Fujian, maritime authorities maintained a Level 1 alert, suspending nearly all coastal passenger routes and withdrawing 165 ferries; over 3,000 maritime workers were evacuated.