World

Mass evacuations as Typhoon Bavi floods China

By AAP Newswire

Jul 14, 2026

Typhoon Bavi approaches eastern China — More than 260,000 people have been evacuated as Bavi draws tropical moisture northward in China. -EPA

The most powerful storm to strike mainland China in 2026 has forced more than ‌260,000 people to evacuate their homes in northeastern Liaoning province, as Typhoon ‌Bavi brings intense flooding.

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Heavy rain is expected to persist through ‌to Wednesday, with extreme downpours in some areas, as Bavi draws vast amounts of tropical moisture northward, creating a sustained flow of humid air into northern China.

In Shenyang, Liaoning's provincial capital, a ‌lighthouse severed its ‌high-voltage power ⁠line and began drifting through floodwaters along main roads and crossing under a bridge, according to videos posted on Chinese social media.

All schools and training institutions have been ordered to suspend classes, while transport services have been largely disrupted in northeastern ⁠cities including in Shenyang ‌and Jilin.

Bavi, covering an area the size of France, formed in the Pacific Ocean 13 days ‌ago. Its structure remained largely intact on Monday even after making landfall in eastern China on Saturday night, making it the longest-lasting tropical cyclone in the Asia-Pacific region this year.

Its longevity is largely due to its unusually well-preserved warm core, ‌Chinese meteorologists say, allowing Bavi to retain much of its moisture as it churns north towards the Korean peninsula.

Intense rainfall is expected when Bavi, currently classified as a tropical storm, slows further and begins to release all the moisture it has been holding.