Landslide from Storm Gaemi remnants kills 12 in southern China

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.