Typhoon Bavi kills at least 11 in China after deadly Philippines crossing, nearly 3 million evacuated

Typhoon Bavi struck eastern China's Zhejiang province, prompting nearly 3 million evacuations and leaving at least 11 people dead from flooding.

A storm roughly the width of France made landfall in China's Zhejiang province late Saturday, trapping residents on rooftops and forcing nearly 3 million people to evacuate — one of the largest typhoon evacuations in recent Chinese history. Shanghai was among the cities affected by mass evacuation orders as the storm pushed ashore with heavy rain and strong winds. By Sunday, Bavi had weakened from a typhoon to a tropical storm, but continued to bring dangerous conditions across eastern China. At least 11 people were reported dead as floodwaters rose, with forecasters warning of prolonged and widespread rainfall in the days ahead. The Guardian noted the flooding also raised the danger of displaced snakes in affected areas. Before striking China, the storm had already killed 17 people in the Philippines, then skirted Japan and hit Taiwan before making its Chinese landfall. The cross-regional path caused flight delays and widespread disruption across multiple countries. A separate, unrelated low-pressure area in waters outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility had a 'medium' chance of developing into a tropical cyclone within 24 hours, according to the Philippine state weather agency Pagasa, though it was not expected to enter Philippine territory.

Why it matters

Typhoon Bavi's broad geographic reach — killing people in the Philippines and China while affecting Japan and Taiwan — illustrates the scale of damage a single major storm system can inflict across the western Pacific. Nearly 3 million evacuees and ongoing heavy rainfall mean the death toll and economic damage are likely still developing.

What's next

Forecasters expect the storm system to continue bringing prolonged and widespread rainfall to eastern China in the coming days.

Key facts

• Nearly 3 million people were evacuated in eastern China, including in Shanghai
• Typhoon Bavi made landfall in Zhejiang province, China, late Saturday
• At least 11 people were reported dead in China due to flooding
• The storm previously killed 17 people in the Philippines before striking China
• At its largest, Bavi's storm system was approximately the width of France
• Bavi weakened to a tropical storm by Sunday but continued to bring heavy rain and strong winds

Bias & framing notes

The Guardian's headline focused on the dramatic image of people stranded on rooftops and mentioned building collapses in Mumbai — a separate weather event — in the same story, which could conflate distinct incidents. The New York Times and Yahoo News led with scale and evacuations, while hjnews emphasized the storm's weakening. The death toll figures differ slightly across sources (11 in China per The Guardian, 17 in the Philippines per NYT), suggesting these reflect different geographic counts rather than a factual conflict.

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