Severe storms kill at least 17 in central China
State media said tornadoes and flooding killed at least 17 people, while China prepared for Super Typhoon Bavi to reach its east coast.
By Sofia Marchetti · World Affairs Correspondent
3 min read
Severe storms across central and southern China have killed at least 17 people, injured hundreds and driven large evacuations, state media reported. The disasters hit as authorities prepared for Super Typhoon Bavi, which forecasters said could bring heavy rain and damaging winds to eastern China this week.
In Guangxi, regional officials said flooding and heavy rain linked to Typhoon Maysak killed at least six people and forced at least 130,000 residents to leave their homes. Officials said 11 people remained missing in the southern province.
China’s state broadcaster CCTV reported that at least 40 rivers and waterways in Guangxi had risen above safe levels. The region issued its highest red alert for flooding, according to CCTV.
State media video showed rescue teams in life jackets using inflatable boats to search inundated areas. Footage also showed debris where buildings had been damaged or destroyed.
Hubei hit by tornado and violent winds
In Hubei province, thunderstorms and strong winds killed 11 people and injured more than 300, the state news agency Xinhua reported. Xinhua said one person was missing, nearly 5,000 homes were damaged and 22 houses collapsed.
Xinhua reported that an unusual tornado struck Huanggang, a city in Hubei, hitting a logistics company and a warehouse. The agency said the winds lifted several trucks as high as 30 metres, or 98 feet.
A man identified by the Xiaoxiang Morning Herald only by the surname Wang said the wind pulled his brother-in-law, Zhang, from his home. Wang told the newspaper Zhang was later found unconscious outside the apartment.
“Wall cabinets, sofas, coffee tables, dining tables and chairs vanished in an instant,” Wang told the Xiaoxiang Morning Herald. “It was as if the entire building had been hollowed out.”
President Xi Jinping called on rescue teams to “go all out” in emergency operations, CCTV reported Tuesday. The order came as search and relief work continued in flooded and storm-damaged areas.
Bavi forecast to reach eastern China
China was also bracing for Super Typhoon Bavi after the storm made landfall Monday on United States territorial islands in the Pacific, according to reports from AFP and AP. The system then moved northwest.
The US National Weather Service said Bavi had sustained winds of about 150 mph, or 241 km/h, on Tuesday afternoon and was expected to strengthen overnight. Xinhua reported that the typhoon was forecast to make landfall on China’s eastern coast by Thursday, bringing heavy wind and rain.
Bavi had already left thousands of people without power on Guam and in the Northern Mariana Islands, according to AFP and AP. Rota saw some of the worst conditions, with winds reaching up to 180 mph, or 290 km/h, on Monday.
Rota Mayor Aubry Hocog told AFP that two people were reported to have suffered non-fatal injuries and that no deaths had been confirmed. She said more than 50 percent of the island had been damaged and that restoring power fully could take two to three months.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.