Typhoon Gaemi hits China after killing people in Taiwan and the Philippines

Typhoon Gaemi hit mainland China after causing damage to Taiwan and the Philippines.

More than 150,000 people living in the southeastern Chinese province of Fujian have been evacuated to safer places as they await the storm.

It comes after widespread flooding and landslides in Taiwan and the Philippines, killing at least 21 people.

The Philippines says it is “racing against time” to contain an oil spill after a tanker carrying 1.5 million liters of industrial fuel sank off the country's coast.

The ship was one of two that sank in the region on Thursday, with the second one going down off the southwest coast of Taiwan.

China activated a high-level disaster alert as the typhoon made landfall on Thursday evening local time.

Chinese President Xi Jinping chaired a meeting with the top leadership of the Communist Party on flood control and disaster relief plans, state media reported.

Train service has been suspended in Fujian, and authorities in northern China have warned of heavy rains that could cause landslides and floods.

Meanwhile, the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters says there is a high risk of natural disasters.

China is experiencing a summer of extreme weather, with heavy rains in the east and south and hot heat waves in the north. It usually rains heavily from mid-July to mid-August.

Gaemi is taking the same path as last year's Typhoon Doksuri, which caused it widespread flooding in northern Chinaalthough it is possible that its route may change.

A clean-up operation is underway in Taiwan following the typhoon – the largest to hit the island in eight years but only the first of this year's typhoon season.

Taiwan's weather bureau said many areas on the island received more than 1000mm of rain between Wednesday night and Thursday lunchtime, while the southern city of Kaohsuing recorded 1350mm of rain.

It left large areas of the city under more than a meter of flood water and three people died.

A search and rescue operation is underway to find the remaining six Burmese sailors reported missing after their Tanzanian-flagged cargo ship Fu Shun ran aground off the northern coast of Taiwan.

Three crew members have been rescued so far, but strong winds and rough seas are hampering rescue efforts, officials said.

Five other cargo ships have gone missing near the island.

Despite avoiding a typhoon, Typhoon Gaemi had brought seasonal rains when it hit the Philippines, causing flooding in Manila.

The typhoon caused the sinking of the MT Terra Nova, a tanker bound for the city of Iloilo, Philippines, with 17 crew members.

The Philippine Coast Guard said it found the body of the missing crew, while 16 others were rescued.

There is currently a major work in progress to contain the oil spill which could be the worst in the history of the country if it is not managed properly.

The Coast Guard found an oil slick that stretched nearly four kilometers, describing it as “huge”.

Rear Admiral Armando Balilo said the spill would “disrupt the marine environment”.

Manila Bay, where the tanker once capsized, has a busy shipping lane and its shores are home to shopping malls, casino resorts and fishing communities.

Experts say that under normal circumstances officials would quickly install booms, or temporary floating barriers, to limit how far the spill could spread – but bad weather has delayed these efforts.