Typhoon Gaemi Hits China After Killing 25 in Taiwan and the Philippines

Typhoon Gaemi made landfall on China’s southeastern coast on Thursday evening after sweeping across Taiwan, where it caused landslides and flooding in low-lying areas and left three people dead, according to AP.

“Typhoon Gaemi has reached southeastern China after churning across the Taiwan Strait”

Al Jazeera

AP said the storm intensified seasonal rains earlier in the week in the Philippines, where the death toll climbed to 22, and it reported that offices and schools in Taiwan were closed for a second day on Thursday.

Al Jazeera

The Associated Press reported that two people were killed on Wednesday before the storm made landfall around midnight, and that a 78-year-old man died after his home was hit by a mudslide on Thursday afternoon, citing Taiwan’s Central News Agency.

AP also said another 380 people were reported injured, and it described a third death on Wednesday—a driver pinned under an overturned excavator—that was initially attributed to the typhoon but later was determined not to be linked.

The Los Angeles Times echoed the same core timeline, saying Gaemi made landfall on China’s southeastern coast Thursday evening after leaving three people dead in Taiwan and sweeping through the Philippines where the death toll climbed to 22.

The Straits Times, meanwhile, focused on the storm’s impact in China’s coastal Fujian province on July 26, saying it pummelled towns with heavy rain and strong winds and that it affected almost 630,000 people so far.

In Fujian, Xinhua reported that nearly half of those affected had to be relocated, and the Straits Times said Gaemi was packing winds of up to 100.8kmh near its centre, easing slightly from 118.8kmh logged on the night of July 25 when it landed in Putian.

As Gaemi moved from Taiwan toward China, multiple outlets described large-scale evacuations and shifting wind speeds.

The Associated Press said that in China’s coastal Fujian province, flights, trains and ferry services were canceled, and more than 240,000 residents were evacuated as the typhoon approached, citing Xinhua.

Ambito

The Straits Times reported that Gaemi affected almost 630,000 people in Fujian so far, with nearly half relocated, and it said winds reached up to 100.8kmh near the centre after easing from 118.8kmh logged on the night of July 25 when it landed in Putian.

Al Jazeera described the storm’s arrival in southeastern China as it “churning across the Taiwan Strait,” and it said Gaemi prompted warnings of swelling rivers, flash floods and waterlogging in cities and provinces hit by extreme rains several weeks earlier.

Al Jazeera also gave a specific landfall time and wind figure, saying Gaemi made landfall in Fujian province at 7:50 pm (11:50 GMT) on Thursday after whipping Taiwan with gusts of up to 227 kilometres per hour (141 miles per hour).

The BBC reported that more than 150,000 people living in southeastern Fujian were relocated to safer areas in anticipation of the storm, and it said China activated its highest-tier disaster warning as the storm made its way to its shores on Thursday evening local time.

In Taiwan, the BBC said the island’s meteorological office reported several areas received more than 1000mm of rainfall between Wednesday night and Thursday lunchtime, and it cited Kaohsuing recording 1350mm of rain.

The Guardian’s weather tracker added a different rainfall framing, saying Manila received more than 300mm of rainfall and that flooding reached as high as one-storey buildings in places, while also describing at least four locations reporting more than 1,000mm of rain within a 14-hour period.

Alongside flooding and wind damage, the storm triggered maritime incidents that raised oil-spill concerns.

“Typhoon Gaemi hits China’s coast after leaving 25 dead in Taiwan and the Philippines Typhoon Gaemi hits China’s coast after leaving 25 dead in Taiwan and the Philippines TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — A strong typhoon made landfall on China’s southeastern coast on Thursday evening after sweeping across the nearby island of Taiwan, where it caused landslides and flooding in low-lying areas and left three dead”

Associated Press

The Associated Press said the Philippine coast guard reported that an oil tanker, MT Terra Nova, loaded with about 1.4 million liters (370,000 gallons) of industrial fuel oil sank off Limay town in Bataan province early Thursday and that rescuers saved 15 of 16 crew members.

The Los Angeles Times similarly described the MT Terra Nova sinking off Limay town in Bataan province, saying it was loaded with about 370,000 gallons of industrial fuel oil and that rescuers saved 15 of 16 crew members, while also quoting Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista that coast guard personnel could not immediately reach the area to contain a possible oil spill because of rough sea conditions.

The BBC added that the Philippines said it was “racing against time” to contain an oil spill after a tanker carrying 1.5 million litres of industrial fuel capsized and sank off of the country’s coast, and it said the ship was one of two which sank in the region on Thursday, with the second going down just off Taiwan’s south-western coast.

In Taiwan, Al Jazeera reported that a Tanzania-flagged freighter with nine Myanmar nationals on board had sunk off the coast of the southern port city of Kaohsiung, and it said three of them had been found alive on the shoreline.

The BBC also described a separate maritime search, saying a search and rescue operation was underway to find the remaining six Burmese sailors reported missing after their Tanzania-flagged cargo ship Fu Shun went down off the northern coast of Taiwan, with three crew members rescued so far.

The Guardian’s weather tracker said an oil tanker capsized in Manila Bay as a result of rough seas, describing it as what could be the worst oil spill in Philippine history, and it said later a cargo ship also capsized near the coast of south-east Taiwan with five others run aground nearby.

In Taiwan’s aftermath, the BBC reported that the coast guard detected an oil slick stretching to about four kilometres and described it as “enormous,” while Rear Admiral Armando Balilo said the spill would “definitely affect the marine environment.”

Government responses and official warnings were central to how the storm unfolded across the region.

In Taiwan, the BBC said offices, schools and the financial markets closed for a second day on Thursday, and it reported that trains were stopped until 3pm (07:00 GMT) while all domestic flights and 195 international flights were cancelled.

BBC

CNN described Taiwan’s landfall and immediate measures, saying the typhoon made landfall in Yilan County with sustained winds up to 205 kph (125 mph), and it said Taiwan President Lai Ching-te urged residents not to make trips unless they can ensure their safety.

CNN also reported that Taiwan’s defense authorities had to modify ongoing annual five-day Han Kuang War Games due to the typhoon, and it quoted defense ministry spokesperson Sun Li-fiang saying, “We will adjust some of the air and naval elements given the typhoon situation,” in Hualien.

In the Philippines, AP reported that Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered authorities to speed up efforts to deliver food and other aid to isolated rural villages, quoting Marcos: “People there may not have eaten for days,” in a televised emergency meeting.

The Guardian similarly described Manila’s government response, saying the Philippines government was forced to declare a state of calamity last week in its capital Manila, and it said more than half a million people had been evacuated or displaced.

In China, the Straits Times said the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China’s Politburo, helmed by President Xi Jinping, held a special meeting on flood control and urged cadres across the country to protect lives, with Xinhua quoting the readout as saying efforts must be made to prevent breaches of major rivers and the collapse of large and key medium-sized reservoirs.

The BBC added that Chinese President Xi Jinping chaired a meeting with the Communist Party’s top leadership on flood control and disaster relief plans, and it said the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters says there is a “high risk” of natural disasters.

Al Jazeera also said Beijing cautioned that due to its high vapour content, Gaemi could lead to strong rainfall in the Chinese capital, about 2,000km (1,242 miles) north of Putian, even as the storm weakens into a tropical depression.

While the storm’s broad path was consistent, the reporting diverged on key figures and details, including deaths, rainfall, and even the scale of relocation.

“A powerful typhoon made landfall in northeastern Taiwan early on Thursday, killing at least two people and injuring hundreds of others as authorities closed financial markets, schools and offices”

CNN

The Associated Press and the Los Angeles Times both said Gaemi left three dead in Taiwan and that the Philippines death toll climbed to 22, while the BBC said the Philippines had killed at least 21 people and that Taiwan had killed at least 21 people overall, describing “widespread flooding and landslides across Taiwan and the Philippines, killing at least 21 people.”

CNN

The Guardian’s weather tracker said the Philippines government declared a state of calamity and that there were “21 deaths confirmed so far,” while it also described “more than half a million people” evacuated or displaced.

In China, the Straits Times said Gaemi affected almost 630,000 people in Fujian so far and that nearly half were relocated, while the BBC said more than 150,000 people living in southeastern Fujian had been relocated to safer areas.

Rainfall totals also varied by outlet: the BBC said Taiwan’s meteorological office reported several areas received more than 1000mm of rainfall between Wednesday night and Thursday lunchtime, with Kaohsuing recording 1350mm, while the Guardian said Manila received more than 300mm of rainfall and that at least four locations reported more than 1,000mm of rain within a 14-hour period.

Al Jazeera provided a different set of wind and landfall specifics, saying gusts of up to 227 kilometres per hour hit Taiwan and that Gaemi made landfall in Fujian at 7:50 pm (11:50 GMT), while CNN described landfall in Yilan County with sustained winds up to 205 kph (125 mph).

Maritime details also showed differences in how the incidents were framed: AP and the Los Angeles Times focused on MT Terra Nova sinking off Limay town in Bataan province, while the BBC described a tanker carrying 1.5 million litres capsizing and sinking off the Philippines coast and said the ship was one of two which sank in the region on Thursday.

Even the characterization of the storm’s severity shifted across outlets, with the Straits Times calling it “the most powerful storm to hit the country in 2024” and CNN describing it as a Category 3 major hurricane equivalent at landfall in Taiwan.

These differences meant that readers encountered multiple, outlet-specific baselines for what the storm had already done and what it might do next.

As Gaemi weakened but continued to threaten inland areas, outlets described ongoing risks and follow-on operations.

The Associated Press said the storm is expected to weaken but still bring heavy rains to inland areas over the next three days, including the capital, Beijing, and it reported that in the Philippines the death toll rose due to drownings and landslides with at least three people missing, according to police.

The Los Angeles Times similarly said the storm is expected to weaken but still bring heavy rains to inland areas over the next three days, including Beijing, and it described the Philippine coast guard’s inability to reach the MT Terra Nova area immediately because of rough sea conditions.

The Straits Times said vast cloud-bands remained a significant flood risk, particularly to rivers in central China already elevated due to summer rains, and it warned that as many as 10 provinces could be affected, including Henan, with Henan’s meteorological bureau expecting Gaemi to start ushering in rain on the night of July 26.

Al Jazeera said Gaemi’s arrival drew comparisons with Typhoon Doksuri last year and warned that water levels in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River as well as the vast freshwater lakes of Poyang and Dongting could rise, returning to dangerous levels seen in early July after intense summer rains.

The BBC said authorities in northern China warned heavy rains could trigger landslides and flooding, and it said the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters says there is a “high risk” of natural disasters.

In Taiwan, the BBC described a cleanup operation taking place after the typhoon, and it said the coast guard detected an oil slick stretching to about four kilometres and described it as “enormous,” with Rear Admiral Armando Balilo saying the spill would “definitely affect the marine environment.”

CNN added a forward-looking operational note, saying the typhoon was expected to move over the Taiwan Strait Thursday before making landfall in mainland China’s Fujian province, bringing more strong winds and downpours to a country already hit hard by weeks of extreme rain and deadly flooding.

Across the reporting, the common thread was that even as landfall passed, the storm’s rainbands and secondary hazards—flooding, landslides, and potential oil spill impacts—remained the immediate focus of authorities.