Landslide from Storm Gaemi remnants kills 12 in southern China

Published July 28, 2024
A pavilion is partially submerged by rising lake water as typhoon Gaemi makes landfall in Guangdong province on July 27. — Reuters
A pavilion is partially submerged by rising lake water as typhoon Gaemi makes landfall in Guangdong province on July 27. — Reuters

Continued heavy rainfall from Tropical Storm Gaemi triggered a landslide that killed 12 people in southern China, causing flash floods in the northeast and railway disruptions elsewhere, state media reported on Sunday.

Cyclonic winds from Gaemi, downgraded from a typhoon, had mostly dissipated by Sunday, but many parts of China remained under alert for flooding risks caused by earlier rains. Forecasters warned that the remnants of Gaemi’s vast cloudbanks could still dump rain on already waterlogged cities.

The 12 were killed in the landslide near Hengyang city in Hunan province on Sunday morning that trapped 18, state broadcaster CCTV reported. Six injured survivors were rescued. Hunan provincial authorities issued a flood warning as heavy rains continued through Sunday.

Two officials, including the deputy mayor of Linjiang city in Jilin province, went missing during flood rescue efforts, CCTV said, citing city authorities. More than 27,000 people in northeast China were evacuated and hundreds of factories suspended operations.

The most powerful storm to hit the country this year lashed towns in coastal Fujian province on Friday with heavy rains and strong winds as it began its trek from the southeastern coast into the populous interior.

Jilin province, bordering North Korea, issued upgraded warnings for heavy rains and flash floods on Sunday morning. Linjiang authorities shut schools, factories, and businesses on Sunday, warning that “major flood disasters may occur”.

Rail services were suspended in southern China’s Guangdong province and Hainan Island, while some passenger rail lines resumed in the southern provinces of Fujian and Jiangxi as the storm moved north.

Gaemi, which killed dozens as it swept through Taiwan and worsened seasonal rains in the Philippines, has affected almost 630,000 people in Fujian, with almost half of them being relocated, state news agency Xinhua reported.

Opinion

Editorial

Digital deal
19 Jun, 2026

Digital deal

THINGS have moved rapidly where the Iran-US memorandum of understanding is concerned. While the physical document ...
Failing the public
19 Jun, 2026

Failing the public

WHETHER it is Sindh’s struggle to secure clean drinking water or Balochistan’s difficulty in improving the...
Crushed lives
19 Jun, 2026

Crushed lives

COURTS and commissions have often been up in arms over the health and ecological hazards associated with...
Words that wound
Updated 18 Jun, 2026

Words that wound

Hate speech rarely begins with physical attacks.
‘New urban province’
18 Jun, 2026

‘New urban province’

CONSIDERING the advance state of urban decay that affects Karachi, voices are often raised calling for the megacity,...
Punjab budget: mixed bag
18 Jun, 2026

Punjab budget: mixed bag

PUNJAB’S budget for FY27 is a mix of good and bad political choices, with a cash-strapped centre tightening the...