At least 30 people are believed to have been killed and more than 150,000 evacuated as Typhoon Gaemi rages through Taiwan, the Philippines and China in late July.
Widespread flooding and landslides throughout Taiwan and the Philippines killed at least 30 people by Friday, according to local reports, as more than 39 inches of rain fell in less than 24 hours in some areas, according to the BBC. As the Typhoon Gaemi heads toward south-eastern China, officials are mobilizing some 150,000 people for evacuation and activated its higher-tier disaster warning Thursday night, local time.
In the Philippines, the storm capsized an oil tanker, spilling 1.5 million liters of industrial fuel along the coast. One of the 17 crew members was reportedly killed during the incident. Officials are “racing against time” and the weather as the oil slick stretches more than a mile (at the time of writing) within Manila Bay, BBC reported.
The ship was one of two that sank as a result of Gaemi, with the other going under off Taiwan’s south-western coast. Search and rescue operations are underway to recover at least six Burmese sailors reported missing off Taiwan’s northern coast, according to BBC.
MANILA, PHILIPPINES – JULY 25: A resident cleans a muddied church after it was flooded by Typhoon Gaemi on July 25, 2024 in Marikina, Metro Manila, Philippines. Monsoon rains, intensified by Typhoon Gaemi, have caused flooding and landslides throughout the Philippines, resulting in at least 22 deaths and displacing over 600,000 people. The typhoon, which also left two dead in Taiwan, did not make landfall in the Philippines but enhanced monsoon rains. In the region around the capital Manila, government work and schools were suspended due to severe overnight flooding. (Photo by Ezra Acayan/Getty Images)
MANILA, PHILIPPINES – JULY 25: An overturned tugboat is seen following the onslaught of Typhoon Gaemi on July 25, 2024 in Pasig, Metro Manila, Philippines. Monsoon rains, intensified by Typhoon Gaemi, have caused flooding and landslides throughout the Philippines, resulting in at least 22 deaths and displacing over 600,000 people. The typhoon, which also left two dead in Taiwan, did not make landfall in the Philippines but enhanced monsoon rains. In the region around the capital Manila, government work and schools were suspended due to severe overnight flooding. (Photo by Ezra Acayan/Getty Images)
CHIAYI, TAIWAN – JULY 25: A car stands in a flooded street on July 25, 2024 in Chiayi, Taiwan. Typhoon Gaemi slammed into Taiwan on Wednesday night, bringing Category 3 winds and heavy rain that triggered widespread flooding across the island. The powerful storm killed at least three people, injured hundreds, and forced the cancellation of flights, schools, and military drills as it made landfall near the epicenter of April’s devastating earthquake in Hualien county. (Photo by Lam Yik Fei/Getty Images)
Taiwan’s meteorological service said some areas of the island received 39 to 53 inches of rain between Wednesday night and noon Thursday, leaving large areas of the city of Kaohsiung under more than three feet of water. (RELATED: Get Ready For A Category 6 Hurricane, But Not In The Way You Think)
Clean-up operations are already taking place on the island as China prepares for what could be a devastating hit.
TOPSHOT – People walk along a flooded street in Manila on July 24, 2024 amid heavy rains brought by Typhoon Gaemi. Relentless rain drenched the northern Philippines on July 24, triggering flooding in Manila and landslides in mountainous regions as Typhoon Gaemi intensified the seasonal monsoon. (Photo by Jam Sta Rosa / AFP) (Photo by JAM STA ROSA/AFP via Getty Images)
CHIAYI, TAIWAN – JULY 25: Rescuers search for trapped residents on July 25, 2024 in Chiayi, Taiwan. Typhoon Gaemi slammed into Taiwan on Wednesday night, bringing Category 3 winds and heavy rain that triggered widespread flooding across the island. The powerful storm killed at least three people, injured hundreds, and forced the cancellation of flights, schools, and military drills as it made landfall near the epicenter of April’s devastating earthquake in Hualien county. (Photo by Lam Yik Fei/Getty Images)
In preparation for the storm, Chinese President Xi Jinping chaired a meeting with his Communist Party’s top leaders on disaster relief and flood control, state media claimed. (RELATED: At Least 2 Dead, Hundreds Injured As Videos Show Floods Paralyzing Hong Kong With Heaviest Rainfall Since 1884)
Transport links through the Fujian province have been suspected, while authorities warn landslides are highly possible throughout northern China, along with other natural disasters. Gaemi is the third and most powerful storm to hit eastern China in 2024, Reuters noted. The typhoon is following a similar path to Typhoon Doksuri in 2023, which caused almost $30 billion in losses to China, as well as mass flooding throughout the northern half of Beijing, the nation’s capital.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with the latest death toll.
