China evacuates over 1 million as Typhoon Bavi brings winds and rain

People ride electric scooters in the rain as Typhoon Bavi approaches in Wenzhou, Zhejiang province, China, on July 11, 2026.

| Photo Credit: Reuters

Chinese authorities evacuated more than 1 million people on Saturday (July 11, 2026) and issued high alerts as eastern China braced for Typhoon Bavi, which has brought strong winds and rain to Japan's southern islands and Taiwan.

Earlier, at least 17 people were killed in the southern Philippines, mostly due to landslides that were set off by seasonal monsoon rains that Bavi intensified before the typhoon blew away toward Taiwan, Philippine officials said on Saturday (July 11, 2026).

With maximum sustained winds of 144 kph (89 mph) near its centre, Bavi is passing north of Taiwan on Saturday (July 11, 2026), according to Taiwan's Central Weather Administration. It is expected to move toward Zhejiang in eastern China and, according to China's National Meteorological Center, make landfall before midnight or in the early hours of Sunday (July 12, 2026) and then move inland.

China evacuates over 1.7 million people

Authorities in the Zhejiang province have evacuated more than 1.7 million people as of Saturday morning, the official Xinhua News Agency said. Shanghai, also on China's eastern coast, relocated around 34,000 residents from high-risk areas by Saturday noon (July 11, 2026), according to Xinhua.

In southeastern China, cities near the coast are preparing for the impacts of Bavi. In the city of Ningde in Fujian province, more than 3,700 people were relocated from high-risk onshore areas as of Friday evening (July 10, 2026), Xinhua said. Authorities in Fujian province have placed over 17,000 emergency rescue workers on standby.

China’s National Meteorological Center issued an orange typhoon alert, the second-highest on a four-tier level, with many schools and ferry services suspended. Hundreds of flights have been cancelled, and some high-speed railway services halted.

The centre on Saturday (July 11, 2026) also issued the first red alert for rainstorms of the year, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

Chinese authorities said on Saturday (July 11, 2026) they have allocated 40 million yuan ($5.9 million) in central natural disaster relief funds to support Zhejiang and Fujian provinces' typhoon prevention and emergency rescue and relief efforts.

Published - July 11, 2026 10:47 pm IST