Summary
Typhoon Gaemi has hit China's south-eastern coast, state media reports, after wreaking havoc in Taiwan and the Philippines
Three people died and hundreds more were injured when the storm passed over Taiwan earlier, while authorities in the Philippines say at least 21 people have died due to flooding and landslides
There has been particular devastation on the water, with officials rushing to contain an oil spill from a capsized ship near the Philippines
The MT Terra Nova sank in the Manila Bay while carrying 1.5 million litres of industrial fuel, prompting fears that it could be the worst oil spill in Philippine history - if not contained
Meanwhile, rescuers in Taiwan are scouring waters off its southern coast for six crew members of a sunken cargo ship - three have reportedly been found alive onshore
China was braced for the storm and had activated its highest-level disaster warning ahead of Gaemi's arrival
Live Reporting
Edited by Sam Hanco*ck
Storm hits China, while Taiwan and Philippines deal with falloutpublished at 15:38 25 July
15:38 25 July
Sam Hanco*ck
Live page editorWe're going to leave our live coverage of Typhoon Gaemi there - for now - but we'll be back with any significant updates.
The storm arrived in southern China a little earlier, having left both Taiwan and the Philippines to deal with the fallout of heavy rainfall, flooding and mudslides - which in some cases had fatal consequences. So far, 21 people are known to have died in the Philippines and three in Taiwan with hundreds more injured.
It's too soon to say what effects the storm will have on the latest country it has hit, but with China activating its highest-level disaster warning, officials are clearly prepared.
You can catch up on the day's main events (so far) by reading our last post - it's a rundown of what you need to know. And if you want to stay in the loop, follow our main news story right here.
This page was written by Barbara Tasch, Lana Lam, George Wright and Hollie Cole. It was edited by Yvette Tan, Joel Guinto, Marita Moloney and myself.
Six things to know before we pause our live coveragepublished at 15:20 25 July
15:20 25 July
- Typhoon Gaemi, which has now reached mainland China, first wreaked havoc in the Philippines - leading to flooding and landslides that killed at least 21 people
- As the storm raged, an oil tanker carrying 1.5 million litres of industrial fuel sank in the country's Manila Bay. Authorities are working to contain the oil spill, already spanning 4km, which could be the worst spill in Philippine history
- It then moved on to Taiwan where three people have died and hundreds more injured, as streets in some cities were left under water
- Off the country's southern coast, rescue workers are scouring waters for six crew members of a sunken cargo ship called Fu-Shun - there were nine missing but three have been found alive, according to the coast guard
- Five further cargo ships have been run aground in Taiwan, which you can see here, and China's announced it has got its highest-tier disaster warning in place
- The typhoon is bringing torrential rain to the region and ferry routes, flights and scenic areas have been forced to suspend services
Could Gaemi's damage see history repeat itself in Beijing?published at 15:00 25 July
15:00 25 July
Kerry Allen
Chinese media analystAlthough it could be a few days before an impact is felt in northern China, what will be playing on many people’s minds is whether this will be another "Doksuri".
Last year, a super typhoon with this name caused huge disaster in the Chinese capital of Beijing, and neighbouring Hebei province. The rainfall in Beijing alone broke a 140-year-old record and at least 20 people died in the region.
It took months for the regions to recover from the extent of the damage.
Graphics issued by China’s Central Meteorological Observatory today indicate that Typhoon Gaemi may be charting a similar course, and that an impact could be felt around the capital by the weekend.
There are concerns as emergency alerts were issued yesterday for heavy rain in Beijing and Hebei, independent of the typhoon. Locals have been warned that the regions could see 30 hours of continuous heavy-to-torrential rain, resulting in flash floods, landslides and waterlogging.
So Gaemi could spell further disaster.
Taiwan battered and bruised by Gaemipublished at 14:43 25 July
14:43 25 July
Rupert Wingfield-Hayes
Reporting from TaipeiTaiwan is cleaning up after being left battered and bruised by the full force of Typhoon Gaemi.
The country's meteorological office says several areas of the island received more than 1000mm of rainfall between Wednesday night and Thursday lunchtime.
The southern city of Kaohsuing recorded and astonishing 1,350mm of rain, with large areas of the city being left under more than meter of flood water.
The search is still on for nine Burmese sailors who abandoned their ship as it began to sink in heavy seas in the middle of the Taiwan Strait.
Five other ships were driven aground along the island's west coast.
This is the biggest typhoon to hit Taiwan in eight years, but it's only the first of the 2024 season, with several months still to run.
Three crew members of sunken cargo ship found alive - reportspublished at 14:37 25 July
14:37 25 July
We've been reporting that rescuers in Taiwan have been scouring waters off its southern coast for nine crew members of a sunken cargo ship
Now three of them have been found ashore alive, the AFP news agency is reporting, citing a statement from Taiwan's coast guard.
Two foreigners claiming to be crew members of the ship were brought to a police station and they were "confirmed to be the first mate and chef of the ship", the report states.
Closer look: Five cargo ships run aground in Taiwanpublished at 14:29 25 July
14:29 25 July
Typhoon Gaemi's path of destruction has already caused one cargo ship, Fu Shun, to sink off the coast of Taiwan and a fuel tanker, MT Terra Nova, to capsize in the Philippines - resulting in an "enormous" oil spill.
At the same time, five other ships have been run aground in Taiwan.
They include Xin Li, which was grounded 0.5 nautical miles west of Kaohsiung Cieding, and the freighter Ginan - which was carrying 8 containers of frozen meat and ran aground 0.1 nautical miles south-west of Dapeng Bay Qingzhou Park in the Pingtung region.
Earlier we shared a photo of the cement ship called Iriana, grounded in Fangshang Township, Taiwan (represented by the ship icon in the bottom right-hand corner of the map). The two other grounded vessels are called Basia and Sophia.
Here's a map to help you (and us) visualise all of that:
Another vessel sent to assess extent of spill in Manila Baypublished at 13:48 25 July
13:48 25 July
Authorities in the Philippines have confirmed that another vessel has been deployed to locate the area where the oil tanker MT Terra Nova (see our last post) sank overnight.
The oil tanker, which was carrying 1.5 million litres of industrial fuel, capsized in Manila Bay and has caused an "enormous" oil spill, spanning around 4km.
The Environment Department says once they have located the tanker, a "mapping of the ecosystems reached by the spill and the determination of contamination of water sources" will be their next actions.
Earlier, authorities had deployed two 44-meter vessels to the area - as well as oil booms.
'Race against time' to contain oil spill from capsized tankerpublished at 13:38 25 July
13:38 25 July
Shaimaa Khalil
Tokyo correspondentVideo footage released by the Philippine Coast Guard shows a portion of the fuel tanker Terra Nova jutting out from the sea.
The coast guard has detected an oil slick stretching about 2.5 miles (4km) and described it as "enormous".
A spokesperson, Rear Admiral Armando Balilo, says the agency is "racing against time" to contain the spill and that there's a danger that the surrounding marine environment will be affected - as well as the capital Manila and its shoreline.
Manila Bay, where the tanker capsized, hosts busy shipping lanes and its shores are home to shopping malls, casino resorts and fishing communities.
Experts say that in an ordinary clean-up, officials would immediately deploy booms, or temporary floating barriers, to limit how far the spill can spread.
But the rough weather and high waves today has delayed these efforts. The incident comes a day after Typhoon Gaemi intensified seasonal monsoon rains, submerging swathes of Metro Manila and its suburbs in deep floods.
Image source, EPATyphoon makes landfall in China - state mediapublished at 13:20 25 July
13:20 25 July
Chinese state media is reporting that Gaemi is now making landfall on China's south-eastern coast.
We'll bring you more on this as soon as we have it.
Impact already being felt in mainland Chinapublished at 13:00 25 July
13:00 25 July
Kerry Allen
Chinese media analystChina’s media have beenwarning throughout the week not to take this typhoon lightly.
Leading outlets arereporting that as it courses northwards, it will cause "heavy rainfall in morethan 10 provinces". There are concerns that the typhoon couldresult in major damage given that China is currently in the middle of itscritical flood season.
Ferry routes, flights andscenic areas have suspended services across China's south-east today. A team of85,000 cadres has been sent to Fujian province "to defend against the typhoon",popular news website The Paper reports.
Outlets are runninglivestreams near the coast, and journalists in Fujian have already reported "witnessing 10-meter-high waves", according to that same outlet, The Paper.
Watch: Flooding across Taiwanpublished at 12:47 25 July
12:47 25 July
Footage of streets turned into rivers, cars under water and flooded shops shows the extent of damage caused by Typhoon Gaemi in Taiwan.
Here's what we're seeing:
Highest-level disaster warning activated in Chinapublished at 12:29 25 July
12:29 25 July
Typhoon Gaemi is about to make landfall on mainland China's south-eastern coast, where the country's highest-tier disaster warning is already in place.
More than 150,000 people in China's southern Fujian province have already been moved to safety, but the authorities are concerned about the effects of more intense weather on a region that has already seen record levels of rain this year.
Gaemi killed three people and injured hundreds when it passed over Taiwan, and 21 people died in the Philippines due to flooding and landslides as seasonal monsoon rains intensified.
Taiwan's coastguard is also searching for nine Burmese sailors who were on board a cargo ship that sank in the rough seas.
Typhoon Gaemi continues to wreak havocpublished at 11:59 25 July
11:59 25 July
As Gaemi moves over Taiwan towards China, here are some of the dramatic scenes that have been captured of its journey towards the mainland.
Image source, ReutersImage source, Taiwan Coastguard AdministrationImage source, Reuters'I have nothing now'published at 11:54 25 July
11:54 25 July
Image source, GettPeople in the Philippine capital Manila have been speaking to the AFP news agency about what they have lost in the typhoon.
Street vendor Zenaida Cuerda says she is "back to zero" after floodwaters washed away the food she sells for a living and swept through her house.
"All my capital is gone. I have nothing now," Cuerda says, as she wipes away tears outside the concrete house she shares with her sister. "I don't have a husband anymore. I can't rely on my children because they have their own families."
Speaking at the pharmacy where he works, Pedro Parado is still coming to terms with the destruction caused by the flooding.
"We couldn't believe that the floods would be that great. Everyone here was surprised," Parado says. "When the rain poured, we went upstairs. We carried all of our things, including the medicines, so they wouldn't get wet."
An 'inestimable loss' to fish farms in Taiwanpublished at 11:25 25 July
11:25 25 July
Tzu-wei Liu
BBC Chinese, TaipeiChen Wen-chiu tells BBC Chinese that Gaemi has wrought “inestimable”losses to fish farms due to power outages that started late last night.
Many such farms are located in Taixi township of the western county of Yunlin.
Gaemi is moving away from Taiwan but the island – especially the central and western parts – are still being lashed by heavy downpours.
Lisa Wu, a resident in the southern city of Kaohsiung, recalled to BBC Chinese how a “sea of water” appeared in front of her building, engulfing the basem*nt carpark.
Soldiers helped in the relief effort and brought sandbags against the floods.
Image source, Chen Wen-chiuPath of the typhoonpublished at 11:06 25 July
11:06 25 July
We have been tracking Typhoon Gaemi which made landfall on Taiwan's east coast last night, killing three people and injuring hundreds more.
The typhoon is now moving over the mountainous terrain of Taiwan. It is expected to hit China's south-eastern Fujian province at 20:00 local time (12:00 GMT).
Image source, .Scenes of flooding in Kaohsiungpublished at 10:45 25 July
10:45 25 July
We take you now to Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan, where floodwaters have submerged everything in their path - including heavy motorcycles.
Image source, Contributed PhotoImage source, Contributed PhotoA typhoon season anthempublished at 10:39 25 July
10:39 25 July
Joel Guinto
BBC NewsWith an average of 20 typhoons in a year, torrential rains and floods are a way of life in parts of the Philippines, so much so that it has even inspired pop music.
In the last two years, the unofficial rainy season anthem has been Raining in Manila by indie band Lola Amour. It's about long distance lovers who miss each other especially during rainy days.
Weeks ago, Raining in Manila went viral again on social media, as millions welcomed the rains as a respite from a scorching summer.
But after yesterday's deluge, TikTok posts of the song, complete with accompanying images of flooded streets, are sounding more bitter than sweet.
Image source, Getty ImagesRecap: Two ships capsize in stormy Taiwan and Philippinespublished at 10:30 25 July
10:30 25 July
The day is ending here in Singapore and we are handing this live page to our colleagues in London shortly.
Taiwan and the Philippines woke up today to news that two vessels had sunk as the region was being lashed by Typhoon Gaemi and seasonal monsoon rains.
Here is where things stand:
- A Philippine-flagged vessel carrying 1.5 million litres of industrial fuel capsized in Manila Bay resulting in an "enormous" oil spill, stretching close to 4km
- Authorities are racing to contain the oil slick and prevent it from reaching the shores of the capital
- There are fears this could cause the worst oil spill in Philippine history if it is not contained
- Sixteen crew members were rescued, and hours later, the Philippine coast guard said they found the body of one missing crew member
- In Taiwan, a Tanzanian-flagged cargo ship has sunk and rescuers are currently searching the coast for nine missing crew members
- Taiwan is seeing extreme levels of rain, leaving three dead and injuring hundreds more
- Gaemi is expected to weaken as it moves over the mountainous terrain of Taiwan before re-emerging in the Taiwan Strait towards China
Image source, EPABlack Hawk helicopter dispatched in Taiwan searchpublished at 10:19 25 July
10:19 25 July
Authorities in Taiwan have sent a Black Hawk helicopter to search for the nine missing crew members of a cargo ship that sank off Taiwan.
The aerial search is ongoing, according to the National Fire Agency, but the winds in the area remain strong.
The Tanzanian-flagged freighter Fu Shun was almost 40 years old and measured around 55m (180ft) in length, according to tracking service provider VesselFinder.
