Fifteen killed in Philippines landslides as Typhoon Bavi nears Taiwan

Fifteen people were killed in landslides in the Philippines as the biggest typhoon in decades, Typhoon Bavi, neared the region on Friday. Thousands in Taiwan were evacuated from their homes as the typhoon is expected to pound Taiwan's north and east, as well as Japan's remote southwestern islands.

“They’re saying it’s going to be huge; of course that’s scary, right?” Keelung grocery store owner Chang Shih-huo, 76, told AFP.

Typhoon Bavi is expected to dump up to nearly a metre of rain, raising concerns about potential flooding and landslides. The strongest winds are expected on Saturday, with nearly 9,000 people evacuated from their homes, more than half in the mountainous county of Hualien in Taiwan's east, where authorities are monitoring two barrier dams.

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te urged people in areas likely to be most affected by Bavi to remain on “high alert”. More than 28,000 troops, along with machinery, equipment and vehicles, were on standby to respond to emergencies.

On Japan’s remote Sakashima islands, schools and offices were closed in some areas as the typhoon approached, with forecasters warning of high waves, storms and landslides.

Dozens of flights were cancelled, affecting thousands of passengers. “We’ve covered objects with nets so that they won’t fly away… the storm is getting gradually stronger right now,” Masaru Nakamura, who works at a hotel on Miyako Island, told AFP.

After slamming into the Japanese islands and sweeping past Taiwan’s northern tip, Bavi is expected to make landfall in eastern China over the weekend. Extreme weather has already wreaked havoc on southern and central China this week, with storms leaving at least 39 dead and causing dozens of rivers to overflow.

The single sharpest fact in one or two punchy sentences. Who did what, where, when, and why it matters. Not a summary of everything — the one thing that makes someone stop scrolling.

Typhoon Bavi is the biggest storm in decades, causing widespread destruction and killing at least 15 people in the Philippines. Thousands in Taiwan are evacuating from their homes.

Fifteen people were killed in landslides in the Philippines and thousands in Taiwan were evacuated from their homes as Typhoon Bavi neared the region on Friday. Thousands in Taiwan were evacuated as the typhoon is expected to pound Taiwan's north and east, as well as Japan's remote southwestern islands.

The single sharpest fact in one or two punchy sentences. Who did what, where, when, and why it matters. Not a summary of everything — the one thing that makes someone stop scrolling.

Typhoon Bavi, the biggest storm in decades, caused widespread destruction and killed at least 15 people in the Philippines while thousands in Taiwan are evacuating from their homes.

Typhoon Bavi is the biggest storm in decades, causing widespread destruction and killing at least 15 people in the Philippines and thousands in Taiwan.

In Keelung, locals flocked to a fresh food market to buy fruit and vegetables, street vendors secured their stands and a temple covered and tied down an outdoor statue ahead of the storm. Typhoon Bavi's maximum sustained wind speeds slowed to 155 kilometres (96 miles) per hour, with gusts of around 190 kilometres per hour, on Friday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said.

Typhoon Bavi's strong-wind radius of 380 kilometres will make it the largest typhoon to hit Taiwan in more than 30 years. Many schools and businesses were shuttered on Friday across northern and eastern Taiwan, and hundreds of flights were cancelled.

In Keelung, locals flocked to a fresh food market to buy fruit and vegetables, street vendors secured their stands and a temple covered and tied down an outdoor statue ahead of the storm.“What you’re seeing now is the most remarkable sight we haven’t seen in 10 years,” Keelung restaurant owner Penny Pan, 48, said as her husband placed sandbags at the entrance to their eatery.

Fifteen people were killed in landslides in the Philippines and thousands in Taiwan are evacuating from their homes as Typhoon Bavi neared the region on Friday.

Typhoon Bavi, the biggest storm in decades, caused widespread destruction and killed at least 15 people in the Philippines, thousands in Taiwan are evacuating from their homes, the strongest winds are expected on Saturday, and the storm is expected to dump up to nearly a metre of rain.