Typhoon Bavi threatens Taiwan and China after deadly Philippines landslides

Typhoon Bavi churned toward Taiwan and China on Friday after landslides triggered by heavy rains killed at least 15 people in the southern Philippines, where rescuers were still searching for the missing.

The storm, known in the Philippines as Inday, spans about 1,000 kilometers, or 620 miles, at its widest point — roughly the width of France — and is sweeping northwest across the Pacific. It is expected to bring heavy rain to northern and eastern Taiwan and to remote Japanese islands before making landfall in southeastern China on Saturday.

In the Philippines, a landslide early Friday killed 10 people in Malapatan, in Sarangani province on the island of Mindanao, according to the Philippine News Agency cited by Al Jazeera. At least five others were killed in a separate landslide in Lanao del Sur province, local media reported. Malapatan Mayor Salway Sumbo Jr. said in a statement that some of the victims in Sarangani were related and that parts of the village were being evacuated as rain continued.

The Philippine weather agency PAGASA said Bavi was not expected to make landfall in the country, but warned that its tail end could bring heavy rain and widespread flooding to several areas, including Manila. Officials said moderate to heavy rain would continue to drench parts of the Philippines through the weekend.

Across the region, preparations accelerated. Dozens of flights were canceled, schools suspended classes, and residents cleared supermarket shelves while stocking up on supplies. Farmers rushed to harvest or protect crops while conditions were still calm, and fishermen secured their boats.

“Don’t be fooled by the nice and calm weather now. A storm like this could be the most terrifying,” 60-year-old fisherman Chen Ming-hui told Reuters.

Taiwanese authorities warned Bavi could bring up to 1 meter, or 39 inches, of rain. The island’s defense ministry said 29,000 soldiers had been placed on standby for relief operations. Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration told Reuters that Bavi was set to be the largest storm by size to hit the island since 1987.

Hundreds of people have been evacuated from homes, schools and offices in parts of Taiwan, Al Jazeera reported. Thousands of sandbags have been distributed to residents and shop owners in flood-prone areas.

In Japan, residents of the remote Sakishima Islands were on high alert, with photos shared online showing windows taped and windproof nets draped across homes and shops. Al Jazeera reported that heavy rain hit coastal Ishikawa prefecture on Friday morning as residents prepared for stronger conditions. Japan Airlines canceled more than 100 flights for Friday and Saturday, affecting nearly 20,000 passengers, while All Nippon Airways canceled more than 160 flights through Sunday, also affecting about 20,000 people, according to Reuters. Thai Airways and Malaysia Airlines also grounded flights to and from Taipei.

China warned of a “significant impact” from the typhoon, which could move north after striking Fujian province. Some forecasts suggest Bavi could make landfall twice in China.

“Bavi’s large size and abundant energy mean its remnants and outer rainbands could move from Jiangsu and Anhui provinces toward the Bohai Sea region,” said Ma Jun, director of China’s Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs. He said northern provinces, which have “less experience” with typhoons than southern areas, should “strengthen preparations.”

Southern China is still recovering from Typhoon Maysak, which struck earlier in the week. The BBC reported that Maysak killed at least 39 people, prompted more than 130,000 evacuations mostly in Guangxi, destroyed livestock, caused major agricultural losses and produced two rare tornadoes in Hubei province. Al Jazeera reported that the storm caused flooding that killed 39 people after a breached dam inundated Nanning.