Typhoon Gaemi hits China after leaving 25 dead in Taiwan and Philippines

A strong typhoon has made landfall in China after sweeping across Taiwan, where it caused landslides and flooding in low-lying areas and left three people dead.

Typhoon Gaemi swept up the western Pacific, intensifying seasonal rains earlier in the week in the Philippines, where the death toll climbed to 22.

Offices and schools in Taiwan were closed for a second consecutive day on Thursday and people were urged to stay home and away from the coastline.

A third death on Wednesday — a driver pinned under an overturned excavator — was initially attributed to the typhoon but later was determined not be linked, the news agency said.

The island is regularly hit by typhoons and has boosted its warning systems, but its topography, high population density and high-tech economy make it difficult to avoid losses when such storms hit.

The capital Taipei was unusually quiet with light rain falling and occasionally gusting winds.

After hitting the coast, the storm is expected to bring heavy rains to inland areas including the capital Beijing over the next three days.

In the Philippines, the death toll rose due to drownings and landslides, and at least three people are missing, according to police.

The storm prompted the cancellation of air force drills off Taiwan’s east coast.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr ordered authorities to speed up efforts to deliver food and other aid to isolated rural villages.

“People there may not have eaten for days,” he said in a televised emergency meeting.

In the densely populated region around the capital, government work and school classes were suspended after rains flooded many areas.