Beijing: Heavy rainfall from the remnants of Tropical Storm Gaemi triggered a devastating landslide in southern China, killing 12 people and causing flash floods and railway disruptions, state media reported on Sunday.
The landslide occurred near Hengyang city in Hunan province on Sunday morning, trapping 18 people, according to state broadcaster CCTV. Six injured survivors were rescued from the scene. Hunan provincial authorities issued a flood warning as heavy rains continued throughout the day.
Although the cyclonic winds from Gaemi, downgraded from a typhoon, had mostly dissipated by Sunday, many parts of China remained on alert for flooding risks due to the earlier rains. Forecasters warned that remnants of Gaemi’s vast cloud banks could still bring rain to already waterlogged cities.
In Jilin province, bordering North Korea, two officials, including the deputy mayor of Linjiang city, went missing during flood rescue efforts. More than 27,000 people in northeast China were evacuated, and hundreds of factories suspended operations due to the severe weather.
The most powerful storm to hit China this year, Gaemi, struck coastal towns in Fujian province on Friday with heavy rains and strong winds as it moved from the southeastern coast into the densely populated interior. Jilin province issued upgraded warnings for heavy rains and flash floods on Sunday morning. Authorities in Linjiang shut schools, factories, and businesses, warning that “major flood disasters may occur.”
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Rail services were suspended in southern China’s Guangdong province and Hainan Island, while some passenger rail lines resumed operations in the southern provinces of Fujian and Jiangxi as the storm moved north.
Gaemi, which caused dozens of deaths as it swept through Taiwan and worsened seasonal rains in the Philippines, has affected almost 630,000 people in Fujian province, with nearly half of them being relocated, state news agency Xinhua reported.
