Typhoon Bavi Landslides Kill 15 in Philippines as Storm Barrels Toward Taiwan, China

 

The Pakistan Times Live

 Islamabad Times  

At least 15 people have been killed in landslides triggered by Super Typhoon Bavi in the southern Philippines, as the storm continues its destructive path toward Taiwan, China, and Japan. The Pakistan Times Live brings you the details of the disaster and the wider regional emergency now unfolding across East Asia.

Two Deadly Landslides in Mindanao

The first and deadliest landslide struck early Friday in Malapatan, in the southern Sarangani province on the island of Mindanao, killing 10 people after days of heavy rainfall saturated the soil. Regional civil defense officials said the victims were buried when the hillside gave way; local authorities noted that some of those killed were related to one another, and parts of the affected village were evacuated as rain continued to fall across the region.

A separate landslide in the southern province of Lanao del Sur killed at least five more people, according to local media reports, bringing the confirmed death toll from the storm to 15. Typhoon Bavi, known locally in the Philippines as Inday, entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Wednesday and weakened somewhat as it tracked northwest across the Philippine Sea near Northern Luzon, but continued to dump heavy rain across the southern islands even as its center moved away.

A Region Bracing for Impact

Having already struck Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands earlier in the week, Bavi is now bearing down on Taiwan, China, and Japan's remote southwestern islands, with authorities describing it as the biggest typhoon to threaten the region in decades. In Taiwan's northern port city of Keelung, expected to be among the hardest-hit areas, residents have been stocking up on food, taping windows, and stacking sandbags, following official warnings to prepare for gusts reaching Force 10 on the wind scale.

More than a thousand people have already been evacuated in Taiwan, most from the mountainous county of Hualien, where authorities are closely monitoring two barrier dams amid fears of flooding and landslides, with the storm expected to bring as much as a metre of rainfall to some areas. Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te has urged residents in high-risk zones to remain on high alert, and more than 20,000 troops, along with heavy machinery and emergency vehicles, have been placed on standby to respond.

Part of a Wider Pattern of Extreme Weather

Bavi's arrival comes as southern and central China are still recovering from Typhoon Maysak, which struck earlier in the week and left at least 39 people dead after triggering widespread flooding, overflowing dozens of rivers, and causing a reservoir dam to breach and inundate the city of Nanning.

Scientists have pointed to record-breaking ocean temperatures as a contributing factor behind this year's unusually intense storm activity. The European Union's Copernicus Marine Service reported that oceans experienced their hottest June on record, with the possibility of fresh highs in the months ahead. Warmer ocean waters are known to help tropical storms intensify more rapidly and carry more moisture, which then falls as heavier rainfall. The return of El Niño this year 

 a naturally occurring climate pattern that periodically warms Pacific surface temperatures has added further fuel to this year's storm season.

Analysis: A Season That Fits a Broader Trend

Taken in isolation, Typhoon Bavi's toll in the Philippines is a tragedy for the affected communities in Mindanao. But viewed alongside Typhoon Maysak's deadly impact on China just days earlier, and the extraordinary precautions now being taken across Taiwan, it also fits into a broader pattern that meteorologists and climate scientists have been tracking for several years: warmer oceans producing storms that intensify faster and carry more rainfall than in past decades, increasing the risk of both direct storm damage and secondary hazards like landslides and flash flooding.

For a region as densely populated and geographically exposed as East and Southeast Asia, this combination of factors — rapid storm intensification, saturated soil from consecutive weather events, and dense population centres in vulnerable terrain — means that even typhoons of moderate strength can produce disproportionately serious human costs, as seen in Mindanao this week.

Conclusion

With Bavi's centre still approaching Taiwan, China, and Japan, authorities across the region remain on high alert, and the final human and economic toll of the storm is likely to rise before it fully passes. The Pakistan Times Live will continue to follow developments as Typhoon Bavi moves through the region.

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