Landslide from Typhoon Gaemi remnants kills 15 in southern China

BEIJING – Continued heavy rainfall from Tropical Storm Gaemi triggered a landslide that killed 15 people in southern China, and caused flash floods in the north-east and railway disruptions elsewhere, state media reported on July 28.

Cyclonic winds from Gaemi, downgraded from a typhoon, had mostly dissipated by July 28, but many parts of China remained under alert for flooding risks caused by earlier rains. Remnants of Gaemi’s vast cloud banks could still dump rain on already waterlogged cities, forecasters warned.

Officials initially believed that 18 people had been buried by the landslide near Hengyang city in Hunan province, but rescuers have since found 15 bodies and six injured survivors, the official Xinhua news agency said on the evening of July 28.

Two officials, including the deputy mayor of Linjiang city in Jilin province, went missing during flood rescue efforts, CCTV news agency said, citing the city’s authorities.

More than 27,000 people in north-east China were evacuated and hundreds of factories suspended operations.

The most powerful storm to hit the country in 2024 lashed towns in the coastal Fujian province on July 26 with heavy rain and strong winds as it began its trek from the south-eastern coast into the populous interior.

Jilin province, bordering North Korea, issued upgraded warnings for heavy rain and flash floods on the morning of July 28.

The Linjiang authorities shut schools, factories and businesses on the same day, warning that “major flood disasters may occur”.

Rail services were suspended in southern China’s Guangdong province and Hainan island, while some passenger rail lines resumed in the southern provinces of Fujian and Jiangxi as the storm moved north.

Gaemi, which killed dozens as it swept through Taiwan and worsened seasonal rains in the Philippines, has affected almost 630,000 people in Fujian, with almost half of them having to be relocated, Xinhua reported. AFP, REUTERS