Typhoon “Kami” hits China, causing deaths in Taiwan and Philippines

Typhoon Camei has now made landfall in mainland China after causing severe damage in Taiwan and the Philippines.

More than 150,000 residents living in China’s southeastern Fujian province have been moved to safer areas in anticipation of the storm.

Previously, widespread floods and landslides occurred in Taiwan and the Philippines, killing at least 21 people.

The Philippines said it was in a “race against time” to contain an oil spill after a tanker carrying 1.5 million liters of industrial fuel capsized and sank off the country’s coast.

The ship was one of two that sank in the area on Thursday, the second off Taiwan’s southwestern coast.

When the storm hit its coast on Thursday night local time, China activated its highest level disaster warning.

According to state media reports, Chinese President Xi Jinping presided over a meeting of the top leadership of the Communist Party of China to discuss flood prevention and relief plans.

Train services have been suspended in Fujian, while authorities in northern China have warned that heavy rain could trigger landslides and floods.

Meanwhile, the National Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters said there was a “higher risk” of natural disasters.

China is experiencing an extremely changeable summer with heavy rains in the east and south and scorching heat in the north. Heavy rains are usually experienced from mid-July to mid-August.

Gaemi’s path was similar to last year’s Typhoon Doksuri, causing Large area floods in northern Chinaalthough its course may change.

Taiwan is currently cleaning up after the typhoon, the largest to hit the island in eight years but only the first of this year’s storm season.

The Taiwan Meteorological Administration said more than 1,000 millimeters of rain fell in several areas of Taiwan between Wednesday night and Thursday lunch, with 1,350 millimeters of rain falling in the southern city of Kaohsiung.

The floods submerged large areas of the city by more than one meter, killing three people.

Search and rescue operations are underway to find the six remaining Myanmar sailors missing after the Tanzanian-flagged cargo ship Fu Shun sank off the northern coast of Taiwan.

Three crew members have been rescued so far, but strong winds and rough seas have hampered rescue efforts, officials said.

Five other cargo ships ran aground near the island.

Although it avoided a direct hit by the storm, Typhoon Gemi intensified seasonal monsoon rains as it hit the Philippines, causing widespread flooding in Manila.

The storm caused the sinking of an oil tanker, MT Terra Nova, bound for Iloilo City in the Philippines with 17 crew members on board.

The Philippine Coast Guard said it had found the body of one missing crew member and 16 others had been rescued.

A massive oil spill is currently underway that could be the worst in the country’s history if not properly contained.

The Coast Guard discovered an oil slick that stretched about four kilometers and described it as “huge.”

Rear Admiral Armando Barillo said the oil spill “will definitely affect the marine environment.”

Manila Bay, where the tanker capsized, has busy shipping lanes and its shores are home to shopping malls, casino resorts and fishing communities.

Experts say that under normal circumstances, officials would immediately deploy booms or temporary floating barriers to limit the spread of a spill, but bad weather has delayed those efforts.