China reports deadly landslide, heavy rains as Gaemi weakens

At least 12 people were killed in southern China's Hunan province when heavy rainfall due to Tropical Storm Gaemi triggered a landslide on Sunday.

The landslide near Hengyang city trapped 18 people, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported. Six injured survivors were rescued.

What do we know about the landslide?

The landslide destroyed a local guesthouse in Yuelin village early in the morning local time, CCTV reported. Over 240 emergency workers had been dispatched to the scene, the broadcaster said, adding that rescue work was "continuing urgently."

A video of the aftermath posted by the state-run Beijing Youth Daily showed mud and debris making their way through a green hillside. An uprooted tree could also be seen lying outside a three-storey building.

Gaemi whips through China, Taiwan

Chinese media did not directly link the mudslide to Typhoon Gaemi, which weakened into a storm after making landfall in China on Thursday.

However, the China Meteorological Administration said the southeastern parts of Hunan province were hit by rain linked to the tropical storm.

Cyclonic winds triggered by Gaemi had mostly dissipated by Sunday. Yet, several parts of China were still under alert for flooding risks due to earlier rains.

Two officials also went missing during flood rescue efforts, CCTV reported. One of them was named as the deputy mayor of Linjiang city in Jilin province. Meanwhile, over 27,000 people have been evacuated in northeast China, while hundreds of factories suspended operations.

Southern China's Guangdong province and Hainan island saw rail services suspended. Almost 300,000 people in the southern province of Fujian were relocated, but some passenger rail lines had resumed as the storm moved north.

Before arriving in China, Gaemi swept through Taiwan, killing dozens, and worsened seasonal rains in the Philippines, where at least 34 people lost their lives due to flooding.

rmt/dj (AFP, AP, Reuters)