Typhoon Gaemi: Eleven killed by mudslide in China as heavy rains drench region

Typhoon Gaemi leaves trail of destruction in China, Taiwan, and the Philippines, causing deaths and widespread damage.

“Eleven people were killed after a mudslide hit a house in south-eastern China on July 28 as heavy rains from what remained of a tropical storm drenched the region,” state media said.

Elsewhere in China, a delivery person on a scooter was killed on July 27 after being hit by a falling tree in Shanghai, apparently because of storm-related winds, according to The Paper, a digital news outlet.

These deaths were the first in China that appeared to be linked to typhoon Gaemi, which weakened owing to a tropical storm that made landfall on July 25. “Before reaching China, the typhoon intensified the monsoon rains in the Philippines, leaving at least 34 dead, and swept across the island of Taiwan, where the death toll has risen to 10,” authorities said late July 27.

“The mudslide struck the house at about 8 a.m. in Yuelin village, which falls under the jurisdiction of Hengyang city in Hunan province,” state broadcaster CCTV said in a series of online reports.

An earlier report said 18 people were trapped by the mudslide and six injured people had been rescued. It wasn’t clear in the latest report if one other person remained missing. The reports didn’t say who was staying in the house that was rented for temporary stays. There was no information on whether the injuries were serious.

The reports said the mudslide was triggered by water rushing down the mountains from heavy rains. They didn’t mention Gaemi, but the China Meteorological Administration said that rain tied to the tropical storm hit south-eastern parts of Hunan province on July 27.

In Shanghai, a photo posted by The Paper showed a delivery scooter on its side mostly covered by leafy branches near the still-standing barren trunk of a tree. It said that winds from the storm were the suspected cause and that the investigation was ongoing.