Hundreds of thousands evacuated as Typhoon Bavi barrels towards China
Super Typhoon Bavi, downgraded but still dangerous, has prompted the evacuation of over 600,000 people across eastern China as it approaches landfall near Wenzhou in Zhejiang province. The storm has already affected Japan, Taiwan, and the Philippines, with hundreds of flights cancelled and transport services suspended across the region.
A major typhoon system is bearing down on China's eastern coast after traversing the western Pacific. More than 600,000 residents have been ordered to leave their homes in preparation, with the majority—over 500,000—concentrated in Zhejiang province and an additional 100,000 in the neighbouring Fujian province. Meteorological authorities have issued an orange-level alert, the second-highest on China's four-tier warning system, as the storm approaches the densely populated city of Wenzhou, where landfall is anticipated in the early hours of Sunday.
The typhoon has already left a trail of disruption across multiple countries. In Taiwan, approximately 14,200 people were evacuated by Saturday morning, and at least 36 people sustained injuries, predominantly from motorcycle accidents on rain-slicked roads. Japan's southern Okinawa prefecture reported over 200 cancelled flights as the storm system moved through the Sakishima islands. The Philippines recorded at least 17 fatalities from landslides triggered by heavy rainfall intensified by the typhoon's moisture bands.
China's transportation and service sectors have been significantly disrupted. Hundreds of flights have been grounded, rail services curtailed, and schools and ferry operations suspended across affected regions. In Ningde, Fujian province, authorities mobilised more than 17,000 emergency personnel on standby, while evacuating over 3,700 residents from high-risk coastal areas. The storm arrives as southern China continues recovery efforts from Tropical Storm Maysak, which claimed at least 39 lives in Nanning after a dam breach earlier in the week.
Despite the scale of the evacuation, residents in affected areas expressed cautious confidence. One Wenzhou resident told Reuters that families had stockpiled supplies and that communities had weathered similar events previously. Authorities have ensured that food supplies remain available even as markets and businesses close in preparation for the system's arrival.
The live signal stream across the Qatari market.