A Tanzanian-flagged freighter capsized off the coast of Taiwan in strong winds, leaving the crew missing and rescuers unable to reach the area.
Typhoon Gaemi is barreling toward southern China after wreaking havoc in Taiwan, killing at least two people and sinking a cargo ship with its nine crew members missing.
The typhoon made landfall on Taiwan’s northeast coast at midnight Wednesday (16:00 GMT), packing winds of 227kmph (141mph) toward Fuzhou in China’s Fujian province on the 12th, the country’s Central Weather Administration said. :15pm (04:15 GMT) Thursday.
A Tanzanian-flagged cargo ship sank off the coast of the southern port city of Kaohsiung, leaving nine Myanmar crew members in life jackets, Taiwan’s fire department said Thursday.
Fire department chief Hsiao Huan-chang said crews contacted a nearby Taiwanese cargo ship, but when rescuers finally reached the area, “visibility at the scene was very poor and the winds were very strong.”
He said that ships or helicopters would be sent immediately if the weather permits, but that is not possible at the moment.
Officials confirmed the strongest typhoon to hit Taiwan in eight years, dumping 2,200 mm (87 inches) of rain since Tuesday – killing two people.
A man in Kaohsiung was killed when his motorbike crashed into a tree, and a woman died when part of a building fell on her in eastern Hualien. It is reported that more than 200 people were injured in the storm.
Several cities, including Taipei, declared a second day of holiday on Thursday, closing schools, government offices and the stock market, while hundreds of domestic and international flights were cancelled.
China Flood Warning
Chinese weather forecasters said it would pass through Fujian later Thursday, putting the province on the second-highest flood warning level.
The Ministry of Water Resources warned on Wednesday that heavy rains could flood rivers and lakes in Fujian and neighboring Zhejiang province.
In Fujian, state media reported that government officials had evacuated nearly 150,000 people, mainly from coastal fishing communities.
Authorities in Zhejiang’s Zhoushan suspended passenger waterways for up to three days as strong winds increased.
According to the VariFlight website, most flights were canceled at Fuzhou and Guangzhou airports in Fujian and Wenzhou in Zhejiang.
According to state broadcaster CCTV, Guangzhou rail authorities have suspended some trains passing through typhoon-affected areas.
Meanwhile, northern China was inundated by summer storms from a separate weather system.
According to the Beijing Daily newspaper, parts of the capital Beijing experienced heavy rain and emergency plans were activated, with more than 25,000 people evacuated. Some train services were also suspended at Beijing West Railway Station.
Gaemi intensified seasonal rains in the Philippines on its way to Taiwan, causing floods and landslides.
At least 20 people have been killed by incessant rain in the capital Manila and its surrounding provinces over the past two weeks, Philippine officials said Thursday.
