Typhoon Bavi makes landfall in China, more than 1,7 million people evacuated

Typhoon Bavi made landfall in eastern China's Zhejiang province late on Sunday and is expected to gradually weaken as it moves inland, state media reported.

Bavi had previously brought strong winds and rain to the southern Japanese islands and Taiwan. It is the second typhoon to hit China in just over a week. The first typhoon, Maysak, made landfall in southern China on July 3.

Chinese authorities evacuated more than 1,7 million people and issued warnings today as eastern China braced for the arrival of Typhoon Bavi, which had maximum winds of 144 kilometers per hour near its center.

The storm had previously hit islands southwest of Japan and was approaching Taiwan.

Although the typhoon is slowing down, it still poses a danger due to the high moisture it traps within the rain belts, Reuters reports.

Bavi passed north of Taiwan today and is expected to move northwestward as it makes landfall in the coastal city of Yuhuan in Zhejiang, gradually weakening in strength.

At least 17 people were killed in the southern Philippines earlier, mostly due to landslides triggered by seasonal monsoon rains that were intensified by Typhoon Bavi before it passed towards Taiwan, Philippine officials said today.

In Shanghai, also on China's east coast, about 34.000 people were relocated, Xinhua news agency reported.

In southeastern China, coastal cities were bracing for the typhoon. In Ningde city in Fujian province, more than 3.700 people were evacuated from high-risk coastal areas on Friday evening, Xinhua reported. Authorities in Fujian have put about 17.000 rescue workers on standby.

China's National Meteorological Center issued an orange typhoon warning, the second highest on a scale of four, and many schools and ferry services were suspended. Hundreds of flights were canceled and some high-speed train services were also suspended.

Air Serbia announced that it was forced to postpone today's flights between Belgrade and Shanghai due to the announced strong Typhoon Bavi in ​​China.