Taiwan races to rescue sailors stranded by Typhoon Gaemi as China warns of wide impacts: Live updates
More than 290,000 people in China have been forced to flee their homes
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Taiwan’s coast guard is working to rescue dozens of sailors stranded off its southern coast after Typhoon Gaemi sank one freighter and left eight others stranded.
The typhoon flooded streets, knocked out power and killed at least five people in Taiwan before heading to China. It earlier killed 22 people in the Philippines.
Seventy-nine crew members are awaiting rescue on the eight freighters that were stranded, the coast guard said. Nine people were rescued earlier today from a Togo-flagged freighter stranded on a beach.
Typhoon Gaemi made landfall in China on Thursday evening, after officials issued widespread flood warnings and evacuations.
More than 290,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in Fujian while emergency responses were put in place and flights and trains have been cancelled.
Gaemi is forecast to unleash intense rainfall in at least 10 Chinese provinces, including the capital Beijing, in the coming days, areas that have already been soaked by days of rainfall.
Gaemi has drawn comparisons with Typhoon Doksuri last year, which triggered historic flooding as far north as Beijing and caused nationwide losses of nearly $30bn.
Everything known about Taiwan’s strongest storm in eight years
Typhoon Gaemi: Everything we know about strongest storm to hit Taiwan in eight years
Nearly 150,000 people relocated in China’s Fujian as typhoon approaches
Over 600,000 people affected in China by Typhoon Gaemi
Typhoon Gaemi has impacted approximately 628,600 residents in east China's Fujian Province, according to local authorities.
The number of people who had to be relocated has also risen to 290,000.
Gaemi made landfall on Thursday evening in Xiuyu District, Putian City, Fujian, with maximum wind speeds reaching 118.8 kilometres per hour at its centre.
Taiwan races to rescue scores of sailors stranded by Typhoon Gaemi
Taiwan’s coast guard was trying to rescue dozens of sailors stranded off the southern coast after Typhoon Gaemi sank a freighter, flooded streets, knocked out power, and killed at least three people.
Seventy-nine crew members were awaited rescue on eight freighters that were stranded, the coast guard said. Nine people were rescued earlier today from a Togo-flagged freighter stranded on a beach.
Earlier, one crew member was found dead, while four were rescued and four others were missing after a Tanzania-flagged cargo ship sank off Taiwan’s southern Kaohsiung port.
Typhoon Gaemi path: Where is the storm headed?
Gaemi made landfall on Thursday evening in Xiuyu District, Putian City, Fujian, with maximum wind speeds reaching 118.8 kilometres per hour at its centre.
By 6am local time on Friday (10pm GMT on Thursday), the centre of the typhoon was situated in Youxi County, Sanming City, with wind speeds of up to 100.8 kilometres per hour near the centre.
Moving northwest at a speed of around 20 kilometres per hour, Typhoon Gaemi is expected to weaken gradually and reach Jiangxi Province by late Friday afternoon.
Death toll rises to five in Taiwan, over 500 injured
Typhoon Gaemi has injured more than 500 people and killed five, most of them hit by fallen objects, Reuters news agency reports.
Rescuers took more than 300 people out of floodwater in inflatable boats. Businesses and schools in most parts of southern Taiwan were shut for a third day.
The storm dumped over 1,800 mm (70.8 inches) rain in southern mountains since Tuesday and brought flash flooding to several cities and towns that has largely receded.
'No sign of leak' from cargo, says Philippines
The Philippine coast guard has said that there's no sign of a leak from the large amount of industrial fuel oil stored in a tanker that sank in Manila Bay amid rough conditions created by Typhoon Gaemi.
The coast guard said they are making plans to siphon off the toxic oil to prevent a major spill that could affect the busy capital.
The tanker, Terra Nova, was carrying about 1.4 million litres (370,000 gallons) of industrial fuel oil in watertight tanks. It had departed from Bataan province and was headed to Iloilo in the central Philippines when it was hit by large waves and began taking on water.
Despite efforts by the crew to steer back to port, the tanker sank shortly after midnight on Thursday.
The coast guard rescued 16 crew members, but one person drowned, according to coast guard spokesperson Rear Adm. Armando Balilo.
"We're racing against time to siphon off the oil to avoid an environmental catastrophe," Mr Balilo told reporters, noting that bad weather could complicate their efforts.
An oil slick about 3.7 kilometres (2.3 miles) long was spotted near the area where the tanker sank, about 6 kilometres (3.7 miles) off the coast of Limay in Bataan province.
Mr Balilo clarified that this slick came from the fuel tank that powered the tanker, not from its cargo, which remains secured in watertight tanks.
Typhoon Gaemi stranded 'unprecedented' number of ships near Taiwan
Seventy-nine crew members still awaited rescue on eight freighters that were stranded near Taiwan after rough conditions created by Typhoon Gaemi, the coast guard said.
Taiwan's ocean affairs council minister Kuan Bi-ling, whose department runs the coast guard, said in a post on Facebook that the number of freighters stranded by Typhoon Gaemi near Taiwan was unprecedented for a typhoon, adding authorities will continue the rescue efforts.
Nine people were rescued earlier today from a Togo-flagged freighter stranded on a beach.
"Braving waves five-metres high...our ships made it to as close as one nautical mile but still failed to get closer," she wrote.
Watch: Philippines races to contain oil spill after tanker capsizes in Manila Bay
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