At least 25 people have been killed in landslides and massive flooding after a typhoon swept through Taiwan and worsened monsoon rains in the Philippines.
A Tanzania-flagged freighter has sunk off the southern coast of Taiwan in the storm, with its nine crew members now missing. Searches are ongoing for the crew, who are all Myanmar nationals, the island’s fire department said.
A second ship, oil tanker MT Terra Nova, sank off the coast of Bataan province in the Philippines. It was loaded with about 1.4 million litres of industrial fuel oil. Rescuers saved 15 of 16 crew members.
Typhoon Gaemi also worsened seasonal rain in the Philippines where heavy flooding and landslides left 22 people dead, while at least three were killed in Taiwan with more than 220 reported injured.
Floods in Pingtung county, Taiwan. Pic: Pingtung Fire Department/AP
A car crushed by falling debris in Hualien county, Taiwan. Pic: Hualien Fire Department/AP
Homes and businesses were destroyed across the two countries.
The typhoon also cut power to around half a million households in Taiwan, as offices and schools remained closed for a second day.
It was the strongest typhoon to hit the island in eight years, packing gusts of up to 141 mph.
Schools and government work were also suspended in the Philippines.
Streets flood from monsoon rains worsened by Typhoon Gaemi in Manila, Philippines. Pic: AP
The Marikina River floods near Manila, Philippines. Pic: AP
The country’s president Ferdinand Marcos Jr has ordered authorities to speed up efforts to deliver food and other aid to isolated rural villages.
“People there may not have eaten for days,” Mr Marcos said in a televised emergency meeting.
Meanwhile, Chinese authorities have suspended flights, trains, and boat sailings, as well as shut down schools and “work-related projects” in certain areas with the typhoon set to make landfall on Thursday.
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In the coastal province of Fujian, government officials have relocated about 150,000 people, mainly from fishing communities, state media reported.
