State media reported on Sunday that continued heavy rainfall from Tropical Storm Gaemi, which had been downgraded from a typhoon, triggered a landslide in southern China that killed 12 people and caused flash floods in the northeast, along with railway disruptions elsewhere. Although the cyclonic winds from Gaemi had mostly dissipated by Sunday, many parts of China remained on alert for flooding risks due to earlier rains. Forecasters warned that remnants of Gaemi's vast cloud-banks could still bring rain to already waterlogged cities.
State broadcaster CCTV reported that the 12 people were killed in a landslide near Hengyang city in Hunan province on Sunday morning, trapping 18. 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, according to CCTV. 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 on coastal Fujian province on Friday with heavy rains and strong winds as it moved from the southeastern coast into the populous interior. Jilin province, which borders 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, according to state news agency Xinhua.
