Typhoon Gaemi leads to evacuations and factory closures in northeast China

BEIJING (Reuters) – More than 27,000 people in northeast China were evacuated and hundreds of factories had to suspend production as Typhoon Gaemi brought heavy rains, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Saturday.

Gaemi battered towns in China’s coastal Fujian province with heavy rains and fierce winds on Friday as the strongest storm to hit the country this year began its much-watched move from the southeast coast into the populous interior.

Heavy rains caused water levels to rise in 40 reservoirs in Liaoning province, with torrential rain expected in the region from Sunday morning, the report said.

Hundreds of chemical and mining companies across the province have suspended operations and nearby residents have been relocated to avoid the risk of flooding, Xinhua reported.

The storm, which claimed dozens of lives as it passed through Taiwan and worsened seasonal rains in the Philippines, has affected nearly 630,000 people in China’s Fujian province, with nearly half of them having to be relocated, Xinhua reported.

(Reporting by Kevin Yao; Editing by William Mallard)