Typhoon Bavi bears down on China's east coast after shutting down Taiwan
Typhoon Bavi is forecast to make landfall Saturday night south of Shanghai, near the Fujian-Zhejiang border. China has evacuated more than 17,000 people in Zhejiang and placed 170,000 rescue workers on standby, according to the Associated Press. Taiwan closed schools and evacuated over 14,000 people as the storm passed north of the island.
Typhoon Bavi is forecast to make landfall Saturday night south of Shanghai, near the border between Fujian and Zhejiang provinces. Chinese authorities have evacuated more than 17,000 people in Zhejiang and placed 170,000 rescue workers on standby, according to state media cited by the Associated Press. Fujian suspended ferry routes and recalled fishing boats. Bavi reached Category 5 strength earlier this week over the Pacific, battering Saipan and other US territories, then weakened as it passed north of Taiwan, where schools closed and more than 14,000 people were evacuated. The storm arrives while China is still recovering from a deadly week: flooding from Tropical Storm Maysak killed 39 people in Guangxi and tornadoes killed 11 in Hubei. Sources: Associated Press, Xinhua, US News.