Five people were killed in a landslide in the Philippines, and hundreds in Taiwan were evacuated from their homes, as the biggest typhoon in decades swept towards the region on Friday. Typhoon Bavi is expected to pound Taiwan's north and east, as well as Japan's remote southwestern islands, on Friday and Saturday before smashing into China, which has been hit by deadly storms this week.
Impact in the Philippines
A landslide triggered by heavy rains enhanced by Bavi killed at least five people and left six others missing on the Philippines' southern island of Mindanao, police said. The Philippines is often hit by severe weather, but the combination of heavy rains and a powerful typhoon has exacerbated the situation.
Preparations in Taiwan
Locals in Taiwan's port city of Keelung, which is expected to be one of the hardest hit areas on the island, stocked up on food, taped windows, and stacked sandbags along shop fronts, heeding warnings from authorities to take precautions. Many schools and businesses were shuttered on Friday across northern and eastern Taiwan, including the capital Taipei, and hundreds of domestic and international flights were cancelled.
Forecast and warnings
Bavi's maximum sustained wind speeds were 162 kilometres (100 miles) per hour, with gusts of around 198 kilometres per hour, on Friday -- slower than on Thursday -- the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. 'The typhoon is likely to continue weakening because environmental conditions are not favourable,' CWA forecaster Wang Ping-hsiang told AFP. 'The greatest impact is expected in Taipei, New Taipei, Keelung and Yilan, while the heaviest rainfall is forecast for mountainous areas in central and northern Taiwan.'
Government response
More than a thousand people have been evacuated from their homes, mostly 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 20,000 troops, along with machinery, equipment and vehicles, were on standby to respond to emergencies.
Impact on Japan and China
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. 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 and a reservoir dam to burst.
