Hundreds of thousands of people have been evacuated from eastern China as Typhoon Bavi, the country's second major storm in a week, moves toward the coast. The typhoon is expected to make landfall near the major city of Wenzhou on Sunday morning.
Bavi, which spans approximately 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) at its widest point, follows Typhoon Maysak, which hit China last week. Authorities have undertaken extensive evacuations to guard against the worst-case scenario, with Wenzhou, a city of about 10 million people, located near the storm's projected path.
Earlier, the typhoon brought heavy rainfall to Taiwan as it passed its northern tip, forcing thousands to leave their homes due to the danger of landslides. In the Philippines, landslides triggered by the storm killed 17 people.
While Bavi has weakened to a Category 1 typhoon, its large rain bands still pose a significant risk. The storm is forecast to bring exceptionally heavy rains to eastern Zhejiang and northeastern Fujian provinces.
Before reaching China, Bavi began as a super typhoon, battering Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands with wind speeds reaching 290 km/h (180 mph). As it traveled across the Pacific, it weakened but still struck Japan's Sakishima islands, part of the Ryukyu island chain. In Japan, at least five people were injured and thousands lost power. Taiwan did not experience a direct hit but faced heavy rainfall and the threat of landslides.