Super Typhoon Bavi kills at least 15 in the Philippines as Taiwan braces for impact

Super Typhoon Bavi has killed at least 15 people in the Philippines and forced more than 2,000 people to leave their homes in Taiwan as it moves across the western Pacific. The storm was advancing toward Taiwan on Friday, with authorities warning that it could also affect remote southwest Japanese islands before later reaching China. In the Philippines, the deaths were linked to two landslides caused by heavy rain on the island of Mindanao.

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Authorities said six people were still missing in Mindanao after the landslides, which were triggered by rainfall intensified by the storm. In Taiwan, the city of Keelung was among the areas preparing for the system, with residents stocking food, reinforcing windows and placing sandbags outside businesses. Schools and shops closed in parts of northern and eastern Taiwan, and hundreds of flights were cancelled as the island prepared for the typhoon's arrival.

Taiwan's Central Weather Administration said Bavi was bringing sustained winds of 155 kilometres per hour, with gusts of up to 190 kilometres per hour, on Friday. The storm had earlier been classified by the United States Joint Typhoon Warning Center as a category 5 super typhoon, with sustained winds of 260 to 290 kilometres per hour and gusts that could reach 346 kilometres per hour. After passing Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands on Monday, Bavi weakened as it moved over the Pacific, but forecasters said it remained capable of destructive wind and rain.

The storm's path has placed several territories on alert at the same time, underlining the scale of the weather system and the disruption it can cause across the region. Taiwan's preparations, including school closures and flight cancellations, show the immediate economic and social impact of the typhoon even before landfall. The situation also highlights the vulnerability of coastal and island communities to fast-moving tropical cyclones, especially when heavy rain triggers landslides inland.

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Bavi had already crossed Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands earlier in the week, before weakening from its peak intensity. That earlier phase is part of the same developing system now moving toward Taiwan and then onward toward Japan and China. The storm's changing strength is being closely watched because even a reduced typhoon can still bring dangerous winds, flooding and transport disruption.

What remains unclear is the full extent of the damage in the Philippines and how severe the impact will be in Taiwan and the wider region. Officials are still assessing the missing people in Mindanao, while weather agencies continue to track the storm's track and intensity. The next developments will depend on how much Bavi weakens before reaching land and whether it shifts closer to the most populated parts of Taiwan.

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